Distorted
by BookmarkAHead
Summary: When a chance to visit squadmates is offered, Eila misunderstands Sanya's enthusiasm, and stays behind. Blinded by frustration, she takes on several Neuroi by herself. When Sanya returns, she finds that everything is not as she had left it, and it's not going to be easy reversing it ... (please give it a chance beyond chapters 1 & 2; it improves after)
1. Error

_[I would love if you would give this story a chance, the beginning starts out a little rough (reason below), but my quality of writing improves as the chapters go on. So I would love if you could read on, even if you don't really like the first 1 or 2 chapters. Thank you!]_

_First of all, I'd like welcome you to my first fic in a long time. Last time I officially wrote a fanfiction was around January of 2009. So I'm a little rusty. Okay, maybe a lot._

_I think I've improved, because my most successful and longest story on my other account had 8 500+/- words in 8 chapters, and this chapter alone has 2 700+/- words._

_This story deals with jealousy mainly, so please enjoy and tell me what you think!_

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Part 1

_502__nd__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Petersburg, Orussia_

Sunlight filtered lazily between the curtains of the dark bedroom, focusing all of its energy on a single spot. It lingered there until a purple eye opened up, and the owner let out a yawn. Eila Juutilainen pulled herself out of the way of the sun striking her eyes, and rolled over onto her side. She went to stretch her arms, but was blocked by the sleeping form of her partner, the young Orussian girl Sanya Litvyak.

"Oi Sanya, you know you have your own room." Eila whispered to the girl quietly, not actually wanting to wake her. "But you can stay ... but only for today!"

As Sanya replied with her soft breathing, Eila found herself smiling. She knew that she was lying to herself, and she preferred sleeping with Sanya, even if the bed was pretty cramped. Eila heaved herself out of bed and stretched, enjoying the feeling of her stiff joints being warmed back up, and peeked out the window.

The world outside was an expanse of blinding white snow beneath the clear azure sky; another normal day in the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing's Orussian base. Eila and Sanya had been staying here temporarily to assist the "Brave Witches" with their operations while their own squadron, the 501st "Strike Witches", decided on a new base to call their headquarters, as the previous bases were too far away from their current objective.

The door creaked, and Eila turned around. A fellow Suomus witch named Nikka Katajainen had entered the room, uninvited as usual. Before Nipa opened her mouth to deliver a definitely loud greeting, Eila cut her off with a playful glare and pointed at Sanya, who was still sleeping.

Nipa closed her mouth, crossed her arms and pouted. She looked ridiculously childish, and Eila had to walk past her so she could break down laughing in the hallway.

"Uwah, what are you laughing at, Eila?" said Nipa after closing the door behind her, "You never let me say good morning first, you always want to hear it from Sanya first."

It was true; Eila had developed a habit of not accepting any "good mornings" until she had one from Sanya. She had gone to extreme lengths to enforce this, ranging from simply covering her ears to one time actually jumping out an open window when her hands happened to be full. It wasn't an unusual event for her to lock herself in her room until Sanya woke up.

"Come on Nipa, it's nothing new," Eila replied with a devious smile, "Besides, why are you intruding on my domain so early? Have you come to pillage my land and steal my women?"

"No no!" the Suomus witch sputtered, a blush forming on her face, "I've just come to tell you that Major Sakamoto is in the area, and I thought you'd want to see her, her being your Major and all." She turned on her heel and walked away, hiding the red on her face. "Besides," she muttered to herself, "Why would I want Sanya?"

Eila smiled at Nipa's retreating back. Although she was odd and all, Eila was thankful for her friendship.

She let herself back into the dark room and quickly got dressed into her usual blue uniform. Having nothing else to do yet, she sat down on the bed and took in the sight of Sanya's sleeping form. She lightly began to stroke the younger girl's hair. Her pulse elevated slightly, and her cheeks grew warmer. It wasn't a new thing; she knew for sure that she was in love.

But that's where certainty ended.

Sanya spent a lot of time her, that wasn't to be doubted. Everyone knew of the special closeness, the special bond that the two shared. But it was a grey area. Eila wasn't sure if Sanya felt the same way about her, and she didn't know if it was worth the risk of confessing; doing so could end their friendship if Sanya didn't return the feelings.

Eila pouted, just as Nipa had minutes before, and swept a hand through her own light hair. Her heart was yearning for Sanya, so much that it was painful, but she didn't want to accidently scare Sanya off.

Two emeralds stared up at her. Two beautiful eyes that had been once filled with loneliness, but were now filled with warmth; the eyes that could bring Eila to her knees not in fear, but in love.

"Good morning Eila ..." Sanya said in her soft voice, smiling sleepily.

"G-good morning Sanya." Eila managed to say over the pain of her aching, unfulfilled heart.

..

...

..

The pair made their way down to the base's dining hall after Sanya had gotten dressed. As per usual, the hall was filled with the witches of the 502nd getting their required energy for the morning. Commander Aleksandra smiled warmly at the two as they entered, and made an odd motion with her hand that neither of them even understood.

Breakfast there was always fairly good, as it was at all Witch bases. At least the military knew that the girls involved deserved good supplies. Eila thanked Shimohara Sadako, a Fuso witch who was in charge of cooking, as she was handed a plate of delicious looking pancakes.

She slid into some empty spaces at the end of the bench with Sanya, beside each other as usual. Edytha Roßmann and Kanno Naoe plopped down in front of them and greeted them placidly, each sporting their own dish.

"So I heard that Major Sakamoto is coming around today?" asked Eila through a mouthful of food as Sanya chided her for talking with her mouth full.

"You heard right. She's coming around to check on the 501st members, but it'll probably be awhile before your squadron is reinstated into a proper base," came Edytha's lighthearted reply. The white haired witch rapped her baton lightly against Kanno's hand, as the latter seemed to be inhaling her food, "Slow down. I don't want to have to beat the food out of you if you start choking. Again."

Kanno smiled sheepishly and half glared, "Please don't remind me." Her rate of inhalation seemed to drop as per Edytha's request, Eila noted.

Suddenly, familiar laughter began to ring through the building. Both Eila and Sanya smiled at once. There's only one person who had a laugh that intimidating, but strangely infectious at the same time. The other witches in the building were beginning to get a little unnerved; Mio's laugh was very unsettling to hear when you didn't know where she was.

Eila for some reason half expected the Major to jump down from the ceiling, or break through a window, but there she was; standing at the end of the hall smiling in their direction. Eila rose from her seat and made her way over to the Major, Sanya in tow.

"There you are! We've got a few things to discuss, so come with me." Mio steered them towards the door.

..

...

..

"... and that's the situation. The 501st will move into that base within the next three weeks, so be prepared," Mio ended cheerfully, "It'll be good to get back together." She smiled, uncharacteristically more happy than normal.

"Understood, Major!" Eila replied happily, giving a mock salute, "By the way, you seem uncharacteristically more happy than normal. Why's that?"

Mio opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Aleksandra playfully calling into the room, "It's because she's going to get to share a bed with Commander Wilcke after such a loooong time apart."

Eila could tell this was true by the blush on the Major's face while she struggled to find words, finally settling on a resigned smile and shooing Aleksandra away from the room.

"Well, I'm off to tell Lynette, Perrine, and Yoshika now," Mio said, changing the subject, "By the way; Yoshika has been asking to see you, Sanya. If you want, you and Eila may accompany me on my flight there."

Eila began answer that they would love to go with her, but she was interrupted.

"Of course I'd like to see her!" It was Sanya.

Eila hadn't see her this enthusiastic about anything in a long time. Worse still, her eyes were shining and she had a bright smile on her face. She felt a sinking feeling inside of her, and suddenly the happiness she had gained a few minutes earlier had faded away. How come Sanya was smiling so broadly?

"Won't it be nice, Eila?" Sanya asked, smiling and looking up at the aforementioned witch, "We haven't seen her or the others in months."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Eila grunted half heartedly, earning a questioning stare from Mio. She met the Major's stare evenly, and an understanding flared in Mio's eyes.

Jealousy was a horrible thing.

..

...

..

Eila packed a few of her things just for show. It wasn't like she was actually going to go. Let Sanya go see her precious Yoshika by herself.

"How come I've never seen her that excited to see me?" she muttered to herself, roughly throwing random items into her suitcase.

"Are you ready to go, Eila?" Sanya asked, holding her own suitcase by the door. She looked cheerful, "Our Strikers and weapons should be loaded in the plane by now."

"Almost, I'll meet you down on the runway." Eila replied without turning around. In reality, Eila had specifically told the Major of her intentions, and her gear had been left in the hangar. Sanya hesitated before closing the door behind her. As soon as the door hit the frame, Eila turned her suitcase over and emptied it out.

She was jealous, gut wrenchingly jealous. She resented Sanya a little for this, but most of all, she hated herself for letting herself feel like this. But she just couldn't get over it and go. A single tear ran down her face, and she wiped it away half heartedly. It would be a while before she could get up.

..

...

..

Sanya watched the snowflakes dance across the runway from the inside of the plane, and shivered. She couldn't wait for Eila to get there, so she could warm up in her embrace. She was happy to be able to get a chance to see Yoshika, Lynette, and Perrine again after the few months that the 501st had been apart. Maybe some others would be there too!

She scanned the runway again, beginning to worry. Where was Eila? Was there something wrong? Then again, Eila had been acting weird ever since Mio had announced their plans. On top of that, even Mio seemed to be acting oddly.

Even now, the Major was staring out across the runway with a troubled expression on her face. She muttered something about things "not being right", and that she should stop it before trouble happened, but never directly spoke of the situation to Sanya nor took any action.

A group of 502nd witches began their takeoff procedures from the bases hangar. It seemed like it was time for training, Sanya noted. However one of the witches began making her way towards them, and her heart sank when she saw that it was an armed and luggage-less Eila in her Strikers.

"Eila ... no need for your Strikers," Sanya began hopefully, "We're taking a plane with Major Sakamoto." She looked back at the Major, but the Fuso witch didn't meet her gaze. Mio instead laid a hand on the cargo door's controls.

"I'm not going." said Eila softly.

Sanya turned back in shock, "Why not? I'm sure they'll want to see you!"

"J-just, go by yourself!" Eila said suddenly with surprising force. "G-go have fun with your Yoshika." She added bitterly. She knew it wasn't necessary at all, but it had to be done. She turned around and flew off into the sky. A slight click was heard as Mio pressed her hand down.

Tears had just began to gather in Sanya's eyes as the closing cargo door of the plane cut off the sight of her beloved's retreating form.

Major Sakamoto sighed.

..

...

..

"Oi, Edytha."

"Yes, Commander?"

"See Eila over there? Follow her; make sure she doesn't go get herself killed or something. You too, Kanno."

"Understood." Replied the instructor solemnly as she and the scarfed witch steered themselves away from the rest of the squadron and turned in the direction of the fleeing Eila.

..

...

..

The plane rattled as it was buffeted by the winds, but its interior was relatively quiet. They had been flying for only a few minutes, but to Sanya, it had felt like forever. She still couldn't believe what had happened at the runway, and had tears running down her silent face. Why had Eila abandoned her?

Mio comforted the girl, "She has a lot going through her mind right now, and it's okay to be apart for a while." She gave as close to a comforting pat on the head as a Major could to her subordinate.

A knock at the plane's rear cargo door and the sound of Striker engines brought a smile to the Major's face. Only a witch could do that; Eila was so predictable.

She let out a signature laugh, startling Sanya in the process, and pressed the button to open the bay. Putting on a display of fake showmanship, she lifted her hand dramatically and proclaimed, "And here she comes!"

The door had ground open fully, and Sanya peered hopefully out into the sky. There was nothing but the rush of wind. Suddenly, Nipa popped her head into the hold. She was holding onto the side of the plane while in flight. She surveyed the interior of the plane with a hard stare.

The smile had disappeared off of Mio's face, replaced with a look of confusion. "Katajainen? What are you doing here?"

Nipa shook her head solemnly, and said simply, "She's not here? What a stupid girl."

With that, the Suomus witch let go of the hold and began her flight back to the 502nd base, leaving Sanya feeling more abandoned than ever.

..

...

..

Eila flew at top speed through the cold air. She was sure that Shirley would be impressed if she were here now. But she wasn't; no one was there with her. She unwillingly let herself cry, tears streaking down her face and turning into frozen trails. She didn't even slow down when the landscape started becoming unfamiliar; she was out of friendly territory.

She fingered the safety off of her gun and began firing at random trees as she flew over them. Her frustration built until she began full on spraying bullets at random, not caring what they hit. There was nobody out here anyway. She was alone in the Orussian air.

Alone.

She jumped in surprise when the Neuroi appeared. There were a number of them in the area; all of them part of one "mothership". Eila recognized the model, they were a type that were disgustingly easy to take down alone, but proved to be a challenge in large numbers.

Eila smiled darkly; they would be a nice distraction for now. Reloading her gun, she rocketed towards the Neuroi and began gunning them out of the sky, all while dodging their red lasers with acrobatic grace. They would be the victims of her frustration. Neuroi after Neuroi exploded violently into silver sparks, no longer threats to her.

However, Eila had miscalculated. There were far more than she expected, and she didn't have the comfort of a wingman to watch her back. The Neuroi slowly began to shrink in numbers, but their speed and lethality increased. The smile began to fade from her face as she had more and more close calls, finally disappearing when she took a hit from a unit that had flanked her.

Normally she would have been able to retreat, but there was no one to cover her, and her magic was diminishing fast due to her emotions and excessive manoeuvres. She felt her energy fade, and she began to fall to the earth at an extreme speed.

Split seconds before hitting the snow, she used the last of her magic to activate her shield and absorb the impact, but that didn't stop her from feeling the brunt force of the unforgiving ground.

Eila Juutilainen lay in the snow in broken Strikers with a broken spirit, blood beginning to soak the snow around her. It seemed colder than usual today. She imagined that Sanya was there, warming her up with her embrace and chiding her in her gentle voice. She felt herself crying again, but was too fatigued to wipe her eyes; her magic was completely spent.

The Neuroi were descending. Eila closed her eyes with a sad smile, and wished with all of her heart that she could've seen Sanya one last time, and told her what she really felt.

"Sanya ..." she whispered as the image of her beloved's gentle smile arose in her mind, "I'm so stupid ..." The last thing she heard before she lost consciousness was the sound of gunfire, and the heroic sounds of Striker engines.

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_Thanks for taking the time to read my story so far. It's not over yet, however. I'd love to hear what you think of it so far. _


	2. Eila No Uta

_ Hey, what's happening guys? Here's another chapter in the tale of Eila and Sanya. I'm not sure how long I can make this story, because I don't really write a lot, and have no idea how to add details and such._

_By the way, please check out my deviantArt account [BookmarkAHead dot deviantart dot com] if you want to see some Strike Witches art, including the cover image of this story._

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_507__th__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Kauhava, Suomus_

The plane landed roughly, bouncing violently and shaking its occupants. Sanya and Mio sat opposite to each other, as they had for the whole flight. Neither of them had spoken for the duration. The silence continued, as Sanya stared at the floor of the aircraft, not even bothering to shift the crate that was now pushing up against her. The pilot announced their arrival.

Mio shifted on the side bench and cleared her throat, "Uh, well, we're here now, Litvyak. Don't worry about your gear; just take your luggage to your room."

The witch didn't move, or make any sign that she heard the instructions. She continued to stare at the cold steel beneath her boots.

"I'm sure you'll be fine, and Eila will be fine too, "the Major said as consolingly as she could, "You'll be back in a week or so." She got up and went over to the controls for the bay door, boots clanging against the metal floor.

Part of her wanted to commandeer the plane and fly back this instant, but she knew that she had very important duties that she had to attend to, and so did the pilot of the plane. The last time she had seen Sanya like this was before the tower Neuroi, when she had an argument with Eila. It was one of the worst sights of all, even worse that she knew that only one person could do anything about it, and that person was miles and miles away.

Sighing in defeat, she put on a smile and turned back to Sanya, saying, "Try to enjoy your time here. If not for yourself, for your comrades." The bay doors were grinding open now, giving way to the runway beyond. It was fairly empty; everybody was out for training, save for a trio of 501st witches awaiting their arrival. Upon seeing that their guests had arrived, the brown haired one broke into a happy run, the other two trailing behind.

The night witch finally raised her eyes from the floor, and gave Mio a small sad smile with a soft, "I'll try." She rose from her seat, grabbed her luggage, and stepped down the ramp to meet Perrine, Yoshika, and Lynne.

In normal circumstances, the Major would have considered a response like that as a victory. She stared solemnly at the departing witch. The crushing loneliness in Sanya's eyes was enough to think otherwise.

..

...

..

The weather in Kauhava wasn't that different from the 502nd's base in Orussia. It might be even colder, being more up north. Sanya couldn't even see the 507th's base up ahead through all of the snow. She instinctively reached for Eila's hand, wanting to find comfort in her warmth, but instead feeling even colder when she realized that her partner wasn't there with her. The icy wind bit into her skin.

Her friends were coming towards her across the runway now. Yoshika was in the lead, waving happily and running. Lynette came at a half run, not wanting to slip, while Perrine walked, which was probably the best idea because of the icy weather. Sanya steeled herself for the encounter, and prepared a smile. "_I have to be happy for them. It won't be any use bringing them down with my mood._" She thought to herself, raising her hand slightly in greeting as she descended the plane's dark ramp.

The talking and the questions had begun as soon as her boot landed on the frozen concrete of the runway. Initially, Sanya started feeling overwhelmed. Her mental turmoil on the plane had sapped the majority of her usual low energy, and she felt like she would fall over at any time. It didn't help that Yoshika had to give her an obligatory bone crushing hug. The other two were gentler, much to her relief.

"Hey, wait a minute," said Yoshika, after the initial greetings had finished, "How come Eila isn't here? Aren't you two stationed at the same base?" Yoshika took a look under the plane, as if she expected for Eila to be under there, which she probably did.

"Yes, aren't the two of you always together?" Lynette asked, a worried expression plastered upon her face. "Is she okay?" She shuffled her feet on the icy ground unsteadily.

Perrine said nothing, recognizing that the way Sanya moved and spoke indicated that something was horribly off about her. She instead gave Sanya a comforting smile, and raised her hand in salute as the Major approached.

"I hope you girls are doing well," Mio greeted them, choosing her steps carefully, "I've some news for you, but it'll have to wait for later."

"Ooh! Is it about our new base?" Yoshika asked happily, seemingly already forgetting about the absence of Eila. She seemed to squirm happily in place, not wanting to risk slipping.

"You'll see." Mio laughed, winking with her left eye. Although she had lost her magic, she was still wearing her eye patch. "Now let's get inside! This cold isn't good for our bodies!" They began to walk to the base.

The initial happiness from hearing the news earlier in the day came back to Sanya. New resolve entered her mind; she would make things right with Eila when she saw her again. She would return, fix it, and then make sure it never happens again. Then they would be together, and stay together, maybe for the rest of their lives. The thought cheered her up, and let her smile at the sight of Giuseppina Cenni gliding across the icy runway in her boots. Sanya would be alright, it was just a week.

Perrine smiled at the sight of Sanya's smile and her red cheeks. Those weren't from the cold.

..

...

..

_502__nd__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Petersburg, Orussia_

"So what happened?" Commander Aleksandra crossed her arms and frowned. This wasn't good.

"Well, Kanno and I followed her for a few miles, and we lost visibility of her because of the snow and her speed," Edytha reported solemnly, "But she had been flying in a set direction for the whole time, so we continued flying that way. And that's when we caught up."

Edytha paused. She and Kanno were sitting in the briefing room of their base, a long high ceilinged room with large windows, revealing the snowy landscape outside. Kanno shifted on the wooden desk she was sitting on, and tapped her boots against it, but didn't uncross her arms. She was still regretting the fact that they hadn't made it in time; the solemn look on her face proved it. Their commander paced before them, blond hair swishing with her motion.

"When the storm finally broke and we regained vision, there was a cloud of Neuroi swarming about the area. We knew that Eila was there, but she wasn't in the sky. "

The instructor witch paused again and sighed. She had seen her fair share of downed witches, it was very rare, but it was never a thing that one could get over. A downed witch reminded her that they weren't invincible, and that the Neuroi could to do real damage, even to mighty witches.

Silence fell over the room, save for the soft sound of snowflakes tapping against the windows. Aleksandra breathed quietly, not wanting to break the silence, but at the same time needing to hear the report. She had learned that more details are remembered if the witch or witches in question have time to gather their thoughts. Folding her hands, she nodded at Edytha.

Edytha took a deep breath and continued, forcing herself to recall the horrible events for the sake of military damage reports.

..

_Hours earlier_

"Kanno! Report! Do you see anything?" Edytha half shouted through her radio. The wind made it hard to hear her wingman otherwise. They had been following Eila for a few minutes, when suddenly the girl had picked up a massive amount of speed and sped off. They followed in pursuit, but were unable to locate Eila after a few miles. Worst of all, sheets of snow had started following, making visibility even poorer. Edytha couldn't shake the sinking feeling inside of her.

"Negative!" crackled Kanno through the radio. She was flying a little farther ahead. "Wait! Neuroi ahead! 11 o'clock hilt, 12 o'clock sword!" Gunfire was heard through the radio as Kanno continued her report, "Type-23 Class D Neuroi, uhh, one mothership and fifty or so units! Eila is nowhere in sight!"

"Drop back to my position and lead them here! We have to make sure debris doesn't hit Eila if she crashed!" Edytha barked into her radio, and radioed a call for help back to the base. She had a weaker body due to an illness, and was slightly tired, but the adrenaline restored her energy, and she steeled herself for conflict. "We go in together!"

She braced herself as she flew through a particularly heavy part of the storm, her Strikers roaring. Snow was hitting her face with the force of bullets.

Edytha finally burst into the clear, frigid air. She beheld the Orussian landscape below. It was a beautiful view, fields blanketed in snow, with small patches of trees dotting the area. The only things disrupting the peaceful scene were the black Neuroi, and their ugly red lasers. Many small Neuroi buzzed about, and in the epicenter was a fairly big mothership. Kanno pulled up beside her to await orders, the Neuroi following in her wake.

"Alright! We're going to clear a path towards that mothership! Take that out, and the rest of the Neuroi go down! Cover me; we're going 'Vanguard formation'!"

"Understood! Guard initiating!" Kanno replied, gunning herself up and around Edytha.

Vanguard formation was one of the techniques that Edytha herself had taught to many witches. It was an offensive formation comprised of two witches, the "Guard", and the "Emissary". Due to her fighting style and weaker frame, Edytha always took the part of the "Emissary". It was a rare technique, as there were very few witches that could generate enough power as the "Guard".

Kanno's speed began to pick up, and she was adjusting her circular flight to match Edytha's path towards the mothership. The winds followed in her wake, snow being whipped into the shape of a cyclone.

The "Guard's" job was to continuously revolve around the "Emissary's" flight path, firing around to drive off enemy units, as well as to provide an extra shield if needed. The circular path of the "Guard" would generate a horizontal twister infused with magic, which would accelerate the "Emissary" towards her target.

Edytha felt the push of Kanno's self made cyclone, and checked her gun. Ammunition loaded and charged, and the safety was off. Good. They were fast approaching the mothership, and the Neuroi had picked up on their presence. Dozens of units swarmed towards them; lasers tearing through the sky.

Kanno let loose a barrage of bullets, the circular motion causing them to spray outwards in front of them, smashing into Neuroi in front of them. The twister had now reached full power, as Edytha felt a huge power pushing against her Strikers, forcing her to massive speeds. The falling snow no longer stung her face, it was being held back by the wall of wind. Edytha raised her gun as they rapidly neared the mothership.

The "Emissary" had a single job, and that was to destroy the intended target's core. Usually, the "Emissary" would be carrying heavy weaponry, or have destructive magical powers, but they had to make do with what they had.

Adrenaline coursed through Edytha's veins as the cyclone made a violent impact with the side of the mothership and an explosion ripped through the Orussian sky. The air was filled with the ugly sound of metal tearing as the wind tore hungrily through the Neuroi, ripping off chunks of metal and tossing them aside as if they were sheets of paper. Edytha activated her shield, and dove into the maelstrom.

After the Neuroi gets torn apart by the magical winds, the "Emissary" is to dive into the storm of debris and search for the core. It's is the most dangerous part, as the Neuroi is slowly reforming itself, and there's a possibility of being trapped inside. Regeneration rates were always studied, and they only use the technique on known Neuroi models.

"Alright! 40 seconds to full reformation!" Kanno yelled through the radio, "40 ... 39 ... 38 ..." She fired at a swarm of the smaller units that had tried to follow her partner. The Neuroi began to screech, and it fired lasers at Kanno. She swooped and dodged them nimbly, carefully defending Edytha's attack.

Edytha registered her partner's countdown in the back of her mind, but her mind was on the task at hand. She dodged chunks of black Neuroi metal as they swooped to reform themselves.

"30 ... 29 ... 28 ... 27 ..."

Just one sign! She just needed a glimpse of the red core, and all of it would be over. But where was it? She began smashing through some of the larger chunks with her shield.

"20 ... 19 ... 18 ... 17 ..."

Panic began to rise inside of her. Where was it? She whirled around violently, looking for the reflection of the core. Oh, if only Major Sakamoto was here, it would be much, much easier. The screech of the Neuroi had begun rising in volume.

"12 ... 11 ... 10, CRITICAL POINT! ALRIGHT, TIME TO LEAVE, EDYTHA!"

No! Where was it?! The Neuroi's metal reforming had become unbearably loud, and drowned out Kanno's counting. Her head felt like it was going to explode. Edytha broke for a gap in the Neuroi's shell. They would have to find another way ... wait! There it was, nestled in black embrace of Neuroi metal at the far end. Edytha whirled around, and sprayed a burst of bullets into the core.

Bullet after bullet smashed into the red crystal, shattering its pristine surface. The Neuroi let out one last ear splitting shriek and suddenly burst into white energy, fading harmlessly away. It left an exhausted Edytha in the its midst, wiping the sweat off of her brow and breathing heavily as she hovered in the shower of white sparkles. The smaller Neuroi units began to screech and fade away, as they were no longer being supported by a core.

"That was too close, Edytha!" Kanno exclaimed, swooping down to meet the instructor, "You stayed in there until I hit 7! But you did it." She reloaded her gun, wiping the sweat off of the handle. Maintaining the twister had taken a lot out of the dark haired witch, and it was reflected in her wobbly flight.

"Yes, good job Kanno." Edytha smiled wearily, her ears still ringing, "but we still have to find Eila. Let's sweep the area."

The two descended to the ground and flew over the area where the Neuroi had originally been hovering over. It had probably been a beautiful area, but nasty gashes of Neuroi lasers crisscrossed the area and made long burnt cuts in the snow. It didn't take them long to find Eila.

Edytha didn't know whether to be thankful, or horrified that the blood is what alerted them to Eila's location, as Eila's uniform, hair, and Strikers were lightly coloured and would've been hard to see in the snow. The sight of an injured comrade caused her already fatigued body to gain some extra energy for Eila's sake.

Both of them went into a steep dive, and ejected themselves out their Strikers once they hit the ground, the snow crunching as their knees hit the ground. They were both dizzy with worry.

It was a horrible sight. Eila had been bleeding, as the snow around her was stained crimson. A quick look over confirmed that she was unconscious, with multiple wounds, and lightly damaged Strikers. Edytha's hands shook from the cold as she checked Eila's breath and pulse.

The faint signal of life and warm breath were both there. Relief washed over her, but there still were things to be done. Kanno had already taken off her coat, and with Edytha's help they wrapped Eila in it. She also temporarily sacrificed her scarf for use as a makeshift bandage.

Kanno got up and got back into her Strikers. The look of determination upon her face was enough to let Edytha know her intentions.

"You're pushing yourself." Edytha said solemnly, raising her hand, "You've done more than enough. And I can't help you carry her. The other witches are on their way." She hugged Eila in an effort to keep her warm.

"The faster she gets back, the faster she'll get better, right?" Kanno demanded, holding out her hands, "I'm not letting her die out here; she still has to confess to Sanya." She then crossed her arms in defiance, refusing to give way.

Edytha looked down and sighed. And then she was looking back up at Kanno with a weak smile. Every witch was family; they couldn't risk waiting any longer. Perhaps she could muster up the last of her energy to carry the Strikers.

Kanno, seeing the instructor's expression, smiled herself, as she knew that she had won. She turned around and held out her arms behind her, readying herself for the weight.

The instructor pulled Eila out her Strikers, and heaved her onto Kanno's back, raising her eyebrows in amusement at the audible "Umph!" from Kanno. "You sure you can do this?" Edytha asked, considering the fact that this wasn't good for anyone.

Kanno took to the air and turned around to face Edytha, Eila on her back. "If it's for a fellow witch, I can do anything!" she proclaimed with a determined smile, "Now get up here! We have to get her home, and fast." Her smile faded as the gravity of the situation returned.

"Yes, yes. Let us depart." said Edytha, worry returning to her features. She got back into her own Strikers. Her limbs were aching from fatigue, but she was determined to help out. She picked up Eila's Strikers, and gritted her teeth at the pain in her arms. She rose into the air, and flew with Kanno in the direction of their base.

The landscape was finally restored to its former calm, with only the burnt gashes in the earth and the blood stained snow to prove what happened there.

It was going to be a long flight.

..

_Present_

" ... And then we encountered Nipa and Georgette halfway back to base; they were on their way to our location. And I must say, I've never heard Nipa scream in terror like that, whether it was from the sight of Eila drenched in blood, or Kanno drenched in Eila's blood." Edytha finished wearily, trying to end off on a lighter note.

"I see." Aleksandra sighed and looked Kanno, "Anything else to add?"

"Please just make sure she doesn't die or something," said Kanno, rising from her seat on the desk, "She's hasn't confessed to Sanya yet, and it's killing me!" She threw her hands in the air dramatically.

"Oh, interesting reasoning."

"You know that I'm not THAT shallow, and that I genuinely care about her health and well being, right?"

Aleksandra laughed, "Of course; you are a witch after all!" She composed herself, "Well done, you two. You did the right thing. I think an act like this qualifies for a medal or something." She held up her clipboard and smiled behind it. "But we'll see. Carry on!"

The two witches got up and saluted before leaving the room. Aleksandra stayed behind for a second. She sighed and crossed her arms. It was a relief that Eila had survived, and relief was dizzying her. Besides, she probably couldn't bear to see the look on Sanya's face, or any of the other's faces for that matter, had Eila actually perished.

Picking up her clipboard, she exited the room, and stepped into the hallway. The hallways in the base had a comforting feeling to them, being made of wood and giving a homey sort of feel to a military base. She ran her hand against the cold glass and took note of the storm outside as she traversed the base in the direction of the medical wing.

She didn't know what to expect when she entered the room.

It was one of a few medical rooms that they had, furnished with a single bed flanked by night stands and medical equipment. They always tried to make whichever witch staying there feel comfortable, as they had a nice window view overlooking the landscape, and the bed was a regular one instead of a typical hospital cot, albeit raised. There was a bench and a few chairs for visitors, two of them which were occupied.

Nipa was sleeping in a chair beside the bed, with her hands folded under her head, which was on the mattress beside Eila's form. Aleksandra noticed with relief that Eila seemed rather normal, no blood or frostbites; almost as if she was just napping. Relief washed over her. Eila would be fine.

There was another witch sitting on the opposite of the bed. It was Georgette Lemare, the healer for the squadron. With smooth and delicate movements, the brunette witch passed her hands over Eila, magic flowing out of them into Eila's body. Her hands never wavered nor faltered, and her face held a peaceful expression; the signs of an efficient healer. Aleksandra felt a sense of serenity emanate from Georgette, which always seemed to happen when her healing magic was at work. The Commander felt her body relax, and she set herself down in one of the wooden chairs, careful not to make noise.

It was a few minutes before Georgette cut off the flow of magic from her hands and opened her eyes, but the peaceful expression never left her face. Checking over her work, she nodded to herself with satisfaction. After adjusting the white sheets slightly, she rose from her seat, and not appearing startled by the Commander's presence, beckoned the latter out of the room.

"Well, how is she, Georgette?" Aleksandra asked once the door had closed behind them. The healer didn't answer immediately; she instead crossed to the window on the opposite side of the hall and set her hands on its cool surface. Light was fading from the sky, and the hallway darker than before.

"Well, she's mostly fine." Georgette said finally, in her soft voice. She turned around to face her Commander. The only light came from outside, and framed the healer in a way that her face was left in shadow.

"Mostly?" Aleksandra asked, "Please explain."

"Her wounds are fully healed. But there's something else ..." Georgette trailed off, thoughtfully. "It could have been her emotions plus her exhaustion ..." She brushed some of her brown hair out of her face and began muttering to herself.

"Georgette? What is it?"

The lights powered to life, as it had reached night time. It revealed Georgette's worried expression, all serenity lost.

"Well, you see, Commander," the healer took a deep breath. Aleksandra's heart sank. "She won't wake up. "

"She's in a coma."

* * *

_Hey guys. Thanks for reading the second chapter of Distorted! Yay! I was originally not going to write about Edytha's and Kanno's flashback and instead go right into the hospital scene, but I ended up doing so, and I'm glad I did._

_A few notes now, yo._

_The Vanguard formation is just a silly little maneuver I made up on the fly, and I thought it'd look cool to have a Witch being propelled by a twister, and then working with the other Witch to tear open Neuroi._

_When Kanno says 11 o clock hilt, 12 o clock blade, I just meant that the Neuroi was in between those two areas, if you're familiar with the military use of o'clock._

_I'm really enjoying using the lesser known witches so far. Giuseppina will definitely return._

_Let me know what you think! _


	3. Sanya No Uta

_Sorry for the delay frauleins. I work in bursts of inspiration, and I've been "burstless" for a long time. Nevertheless, I'll try to update more. This was a bit of a hard chapter, and some things are just fillers._

_Enjoy!_

_[Distorted - Chapter 3 - Sanya No Uta]_

_507__th__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Kauhava, Suomus_

Darkness had just begun to fall as the newly reunited fragment of the 501st Strike Witches reached the doorways of the 507th's airbase. The scenery seemed the same as back in Orussia; snow everywhere under dreary grey skies, and Sanya visualized that she was back at the 502nd's airbase, simply returning to her room for the day. No, it was Eila's room where she could sleep peacefully in the warm comfort of her friend's arms. Sanya remembered her earlier promise to herself and drove back the feelings of sadness that threatened to break her down once more.

If any of her fellow witches noticed the Orussian's inner turmoil, they didn't show it. Chatting happily together with their comrades, they lit up the air with their warmth of friendship, expelling any feelings of cold. Pushing open the grand wooden doors of the 507th airbase, they were hit with a feeling of comfort and welcome. Warm light spilled onto the runway, beckoning the witches into its embrace.

Several 507 witches stepped forward and greeted them happily. Sanya recognized a few of them, including Ursula Hartmann, who gave a slight wave.

Sanya closed her eyes and let the warm air waft over her, contrasting the cold wind blowing at her back from the open doors. She swayed slightly, fatigue catching up to her.

"Oh, Perrine? Would you show Sanya to her room?" Mio said suddenly, noticing that the smaller girl would probably get tired from carrying her luggage so long. The Orussian had a low energy level to begin with, and she had just gone through quite an emotional ordeal. Her closed eyes and slow movements made Mio worry that she might collapse any second.

"Of course, Major." Perrine smiled happily. Ever since she had discovered the relationship between the Major and Commander Minna, she had admitted defeat and dropped her habits of stalking out of respect, but still took great pleasure in being addressed by her dark haired superior. Gently retrieving the bag from Sanya's hand, she beckoned the girl to follow her.

Sanya tiredly followed her comrade up the darkened steps towards the living quarters of the base. The voices of the other witches soon faded behind her, allowing her to bathe in the silence of the halls, save for their rhythmic footsteps. A number of thoughts ran through her head, but they were shrouded by the fog of her tired mind, unable to be deciphered.

The halls were similar to that of the other bases, wooden floors with dark stone walls. Despite the low light, Sanya could tell that it felt like home. She absentmindedly began to trace lines in the condensation on the windows as they passed. The world outside was a dark void, hiding everything from view, except for the snowflakes striking the glass almost soundlessly. Distracted by the sight, she almost ran into Perrine as they arrived at the door of her temporary home.

"Here's your room, Sanya." Perrine said softly, as if she didn't want to shatter the peaceful silence that the darkness provided. Turning the handle, she opened the wooden door and switched on a lamp that lay just beyond the entrance, illuminating the room beyond the door frame. The room was fairly plain, having two beds and two desks, with a large window in between them. She paused uncertainly, "Will you be okay by yourself?"

Hearing those words, Sanya realized that this would be the first time in a very long time that she would be sleeping without Eila next to her. She recoiled slightly as tears threatened her, lowering her head and biting her lip. The room that she had looked forward to resting in suddenly seemed like a foreboding prison, fortified by the troubles of her mind.

"Ah? Are you okay?" Perrine asked worriedly, placing her hands on the younger girl's shoulders. _"She must still be hurt from whatever happened today." _Sanya began to sob softly, and Perrine closed her arms around her. The Gallian wasn't sure what to do; she couldn't help because she didn't exactly know what had happened. So she simply stood there, embracing the crying Orussian, and waited patiently.

They had stood together in the dark hallway for an undetermined amount of time until Sanya's tears finally ceased and were replaced by shaky breaths. She sniffled and looked up as Perrine pulled back and looked at her.

"How about I bunk with you in your room for the week?" Perrine asked solemnly, _Or until that dense headed Eila comes to her senses_, she added mentally. Moving rooms would be no problem; she had been stuck with both Yoshika AND Lynette for some strange reason. Mio probably set it up to get them all to become closer friends. "Does that sound acceptable?"

Sanya nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She slowed her breathing and looked bravely into Perrine's face. The genuine concern and friendliness in Perrine's eyes comforted her slightly. The Gallian would understand.

"Alright," Perrine said, setting down Sanya's luggage inside the room. She straightened up and smoothed her uniform, "I'll go retrieve some of my things and grab you some supper. After that, you can tell me what's on your mind." She put her hand on the Orussian's shoulder gently. "Does that sound good?"

Sanya's nod in response sent the Gallian into the darkness of the hallway, back towards the other witches. As she watched her fade into the dark, she tried to console herself. _Perrine will help. Maybe this week won't be as terrible as I thought._

_[DISTORTED]_

"Could ... could you repeat that?" Commander Aleksandra requested wearily. Perhaps it was because of her spent energy that Georgette's words hadn't reached her clearly. She smacked her own cheek lightly, trying to knock the alertness back into her head. No good.

"Uh ... okay," Georgette returned to the same position she had been in when she initially announced her patient's condition. "She's in a coma," She announced, trying her best to mimic herself from moments before. "How was that?"

"Ugh ... not good. Her condition I mean; your repetition was quite good actually," The Commander covered her face with one hand and leaned against the closest wall, sighing, "How long?"

"Hm?" Georgette snapped out of her thoughts with a worried expression on her face, her brown hair swaying. She absentmindedly reached up and fiddled with one of her blue hair ribbons.

"How long do you think it will take until she wakes up?"

"Ah, well ... I don't know for sure. She had heavy wounds and a massive magic drain that would've definitely taken a significant toll on her. And you can't really measure how long comas last ..." the healer said dejectedly, "But witches that have been in these kinds of cases, severe wounds and magic drain, generally have woken up within the same week, up to two months at the latest."

"I see ..." Aleksandra felt her tired eyes starting to close on her. She strode forward to the window that her companion stood near and pressed her face and hands against the cold glass, sighing as the temperature drop cleared up her mind temporarily.

Silence filled the hallway as the two witches mentally examined the situation. The world outside the window was dark, and Aleksandra felt that watching the barely visible snowflakes dance with the wind to be relaxing. It reminded her of when she was just a child, standing beside the window watching the snow, instead of sleeping in her bed.

"So ..." came Georgette's soft voice, barely marring the silence. The brunette had turned her head and was now looking at the Commander. "Should we report this to her Commander and wingman? Or ...?"

"No, not yet. They don't have to know just yet," Aleksandra replied, pushing herself up off the glass. She smoothed out her uniform. "I know that Minna could handle it, but Sanya was probably already in a bad condition when she left and probably won't be able to handle something of this magnitude so soon." She took a few steps in the direction of her quarters and paused, turning back towards her companion.

"Yes, we'll give Eila a few days to wake up. If she doesn't wake up within the next two days, I will personally inform Commander Wilcke as well as Major Sakamoto,"  
Aleksandra gave a small wave. "I must retire. Good night Georgette."

Georgette nodded in response, "Good night Commander." Satisfied with their conversation, her Commander continued down the hall towards her quarters, trailing her fingers on the smooth stone wall.

The healer remained staring down the hall until she could longer hear the fading footsteps. The soft noises of the snow outside began to lull her into a thoughtful silence, as she slowly shifted her gaze over towards the wood paneled door of her patient. Nipa had apparently awoken and Georgette could hear her murmuring inside of the room, whether it was to herself or Eila; the healer didn't know.

If Nipa was to exit the room at that point in time, she would have been greeted by the sight of Georgette's bright eyes intensely studying the space in front of her, pondering unseen thoughts visible only to its owner. She would've also seen the grim expression on the healer's face as the brunette disappeared down the hall, betraying but a single thought.

The worst was yet to come.

_[DISTORTED]_

Sanya didn't know what to do.

Perrine had returned with her things and a nice meal, which Sanya hadn't the capacity to finish. They had changed into their sleeping attire and now were sitting on the opposite beds facing each other. The room was rather large, with nice wooden tiled floors that were cool to the touch. The walls were a light blue colour, with no decorations interrupting it.

No words had been exchanged yet, and Perrine was now brushing her own blond hair while looking at Sanya with a content, yet expectant expression; she was waiting for her to speak.

The Orussian didn't know what to say. Her problem was excruciatingly simple, and she felt that it didn't warrant a heart to heart talk with anyone, which is what she believed Perrine was prepared for. She busied herself by looking out the window, while she absentmindedly played with the soft fabric of the sheets in her hands, wrapping them around herself.

"Not a very exciting view, in my opinion," came Perrine's voice. "You've been staring out that window for at least 5 minutes, with nothing to see."

She was right; the clouds and snow had covered up the light of the moon and stars that Sanya was accustomed to. There was nothing to see outside of the window. She turned and looked at her lap instead, not wanting to speak first.

"She cares about you," Perrine said softly. "I'm sure you know that. I'm certain that everyone knows how close you two are." She stopped, checking to see if Sanya would say something. Receiving no reply, she continued, "I haven't the faintest idea what has happened, but I can see that it hurt you.

"No offense to Eila, but she can be a bit selfish sometimes, and she overreacts a lot, but the reason she's like that is because she cares about you. Why, I'd even say you're the most important person to her. Having the two of you apart is unnatural." Perrine paused, and set her brush down on the nightstand beside her bed. She examined her long hair, threading it through her fingers while she searched for something else to say.

"I dearly hope that you aren't mad at her, despite how frustrating she can be at times." Perrine finished, "It's such a gift to have someone that cares about you that much. Next time you see her, make up with her." The Gallian suddenly perked up and tilted her head, as if listening to something. After a second, she walked towards the door of the room as quietly as she could, taking careful steps.

Upon arriving, she bent down and listened carefully. Ah! Just as she suspected; whispers were coming under the door from the hallway.

"... Did she say for them to make out?"

"I don't know! Yoshika-chan, you shouldn't be doing this! Let's go!"

"Shh, Lyn, I can't hear them," The spy paused. "They've stopped talking."

Leaning down, Perrine could see the side of Yoshika's head, ear pressed under the door. She sighed; there was no room for spies here.

Perrine activated her magic for the extra energy, feeling the odd sensation of her familiar components sprouting from her body. Gathering what strength a noble lady could, and charging her left hand with magic, she raised it above her head.

"Spy!" she whispered, and brought her hand down with the force of ten thousand noble Gallian girls, divided by ten thousand.

_BAM_

Her hand slammed into the floor as close to Yoshika's ear as she could, sending out a massive sound wave whose noise almost reached the opposite side of the room.

Sanya looked up; she thought she had heard a tapping noise from near the door.

Yoshika yelped and recoiled from the door, covering her ears. "Ow! That wasn't nice, Perrine!"

Lynette's voice could be heard from the other side, "What happened? I didn't hear anything."

Perrine, the overlord of all explosive noise known to man, bent down, "Why are you listening from under the door?"

"I just want to help!" came Yoshika's reply from under the door*, cheerful despite having her ears being audibly assaulted just moments earlier.

"I don't think you have the capacity to be of assistance, Miyafuji." This situation was delicate, and Perrine believed that it would be detrimental to have Miyafuji as an advisor, "Kindly withdraw."

"Are you sure? I think I can help ... " Yoshika trailed off as Perrine started reaching under the door with an electrically charged hand, "Okay, bye then."

Perrine could hear the pout in her voice as the Fuso witch surrendered, and smiled slightly.

"Come on Yoshika." Sounds of something heavy being dragged down the hall were heard. Many thumps were heard as the two spies reached the stairs.

Once she was sure they were gone, she straightened up and dusted herself off, feeling her familiar's components fading away. "Well, I apologize for the interruption. Honestly now ..." She returned to her bed, once again reaching for her beloved green hairbrush to fix her slightly messy hair. Perrine was surprised to see that Sanya was drying her tears and smiling slightly.

"They're close, aren't they?" she tilted her head and closed her eyes, white hair swishing over her face. "I'd like to be like that with Eila."

Perrine accidently smacked herself with her hairbrush when she heard this. "You must be kidding." Seeing Sanya's questioning look, she continued, "You two are even closer than that. Don't believe that this one thing would push you apart. You've had problems before, and you've gotten through it. I know she lo-" The Gallian smacked herself again, this time lightly and on purpose; she wasn't supposed to give that part away. "-oks ... nice... at you?"

To her relief, Sanya looked confused, "She ... what?"

"I meant to say that she likes ... looking at you?" _Dearly sorry Eila, I'm making you sound quite odd. But it's for the greater good, _Perrine mentally apologized.

Sanya giggled and a shade of red appeared on her cheeks. Perrine was relieved to see her friend in higher spirits than before. She smiled as well and ran her brush through her hair once more. The mood of the room was suddenly lighter, and she sighed in relief.

"Ne, Perrine," Sanya said, lying back on her bed. She nestled her head in the soft pillow and found to her delight that it reminded her of Eila's chest that she always slept on. "Do you have a person like that?"

"Hm? Oh ... yes I do, as a matter of fact." Perrine's thoughts went to her Major, but she pulled them away in disbelief and focused them on another person. Holding up her green hairbrush, she continued, "She gave me her brush before I left to join the 501st. Her name is Amelie Planchard.

"She's also from Gallia, and was my wingman for a long time. She's my closest friend. I've not seen her for awhile, though we always write to each other. Amelie was always so emotional, and I can still remember when she gave me this." Perrine closed her eyes as she was pulled into a flashback.

_[Please refer to my other fic "Silver Airship" if you are interested in the flashback]_

Sanya waited patiently as the Gallian traversed through her memories from the past. She observed Perrine's face, noting the happy smile and light blush on her face. Suddenly, the blonde's eyes shot open in sudden understanding.

"Y-yes, she's always cared for me. But it seems that I've been neglecting her for awhile." Perrine said finally, lightly blushing. "I miss her dearly; I've not seen her for a few months." She mumbled something to herself which sounded something like "Amelie, forgive me, I didn't realize ..." She cradled the brush, and curiously cupped her cheek.

"I'm sure she misses you just as much; maybe even more." Sanya said softly. She was sympathetic; she couldn't imagine being away from Eila for that long. Ever since they had met, the Suomi and she had never been apart for more than a week. "Do ... do you think that Eila misses me right now?"

"What a question! Of course she does," Perrine exclaimed, glad to not be the topic of conversation, "She's probably thinking of nothing else." She smiled comfortingly, laying down and reaching for the lamp switch. "We should retire. Good night, Sanya."

"Good night Perrine." Sanya said softly, watching amusingly as Perrine hugged her brush as she lay there, "And thank you." Perrine made a small noise, acknowledging her.

The room was now dark, but the snow and clouds had cleared from the sky, allowing the beautiful moonlight to spill into the room. Sanya gazed contentedly at the moon, taking comfort in the thought that Eila would be seeing the same one, and maybe even thinking of her as well. She blushed lightly, and saw with delight that a star was now traversing across the night sky.

"A shooting star ..." she whispered softly. She rose from her bed and pressed her hands against the cold glass of the window. People make wishes on them, don't they?

"Better make a wish, Sanya," whispered Perrine from beside her. Much to the Orussian's surprise, the Gallian had heard her AND gotten out of bed to look out the window where she was now smiling at her.

"Nn!" Sanya acknowledged with a smile. Perrine nodded, folding her hands together and closing her eyes. She began to murmur, and Sanya was happy to hear Amelie's name somewhere in the wish. She herself followed suit, and as the moon and starlight washed over the two witches, covering them in a blue-white glow, she made her wish.

_I wish Eila and I..._

Her wish completed, she opened her eyes. Everything was going to be alright. Bathed in moonlight with her friend by her side, she watched happily as their shooting star continued on its never-ending journey across the vast night sky.

_[Distorted – End of Chapter Three – Sanya No Uta]_

_*A reference to a part I found funny from "Total War" by Tastychainsaws_

_You can probably tell I'm trying to reverse all the hatred of Perrine that I've seen; she's a nice character._

_Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tell the author what you think! NOW._

_Also, don't forget to visit me on my deviantArt – BookmarkAHead deviantArt_

_Thanks for reading!_


	4. Day by Day

_Day by Day_

_507__th__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Kauhava, Suomus_

Sanya yawned and stretched as she struggled to free herself from the comfortable grasp that sheets of her bed had on her. Apparently she had been tossing and turning frequently during her sleep, which was unusual for her, considering that Eila had always remarked that she had sometimes compared Sanya's sleeping form with that of a corpse, save for the breathing.

"Whatever position you fell asleep would most likely be the exact same when you wake up," she had always found amusement in this for some weird reason, commenting about it right when they would wake up, with that carefree smile of hers.

Eila. Two days since her heart to heart with Perrine, two days since she had last seen Eila. Two nights of sleeping in a bed alone, not being able to bury her face in Eila's chest for the night, or to secretly run her fingers through the Suomi's hair while she slept. It had been a tough two days so far, with a few more to go, but Sanya regarded it as a challenge; a challenge to become stronger. Also, Sanya supposed, it would make her next meeting with Eila much sweeter.

Perhaps they would dash to each other on the runway, wind blowing through their hair, and Eila could catch her in her arms. Sanya giggled at the silly fantasy and felt anticipation run through her veins, although it would be another few days before it could possibly happen. She could make it until then; she was feeling pretty good.

The morning sunlight was blasting through the window, the curtains had been parted, and Sanya cracked open her eyes and squinted against the morning light, not quite being able to see properly just yet. What time was it? She searched the room for a clock, eyes slowly adjusting, and felt slightly bemused when there was none to be found.

"Ah, good morning Sanya," Perrine was already up, fully dressed and brushing her hair. Perrine had always gotten up earlier, but never left without Sanya. She smiled at the Orussian warmly, "Ready for breakfast?" Perrine always got up before Sanya, adhering to a set time that she never failed to meet.

The two had become close friends, spending all of their time on the base together. Perhaps it was because they understood each other's struggles, or maybe it was because Perrine was tired of having to go around with the Yoshika & Lynette. Whatever it was, it didn't matter; Sanya was glad to have company, as well as someone to tell all her feelings to. She hadn't been able to share those feelings with Eila, because her feelings were ABOUT Eila.

"Nn, just let me get dressed," Sanya replied, shivering as she removed herself from the warmth of her bed, and made her way quickly over to their shared closet. She opened the door and pulled down one of her many identical uniforms, wasting no time in getting dressed.

"Okay, ready!" Sanya announced as she slipped her feet into her shoes, looking to Perrine and waiting for her lead.

"Wait, your hair is quite a mess," Perrine said as she walked over. Leading Sanya to the bed, she sat her down. "Allow me," the Gallian bowed playfully.

The Orussian bowed her head back, giving a small squeak of thanks and a giggle, and closed her eyes as she felt Perrine's – no, Amelie's – brush start to run through her medium length pale hair. She noticed that Perrine had been a lot happier since their talk, and seemed to be anxious about something.

Sanya took a look outside and saw that the landscape was covered in snow, covering everything in sight with their blinding white light. The sky was completely clear, breathtaking in its uninterrupted deep blue colour; she found it mesmerizing to look at it. Sanya giggled; the blue colour reminded her of Eila's Suomi military uniform, even if it wasn't the same shade. She found herself reaching towards it, as if she could take hold of a piece of the sky and pull Eila right out of it.

_I miss you, Eila._ _We'll be together again soon, okay? _Sanya thought to herself, taking comfort in the thought, and at the same time trying to send a telepathic message.

"There we are." Perrine stated with satisfaction evident in her voice, retracting the brush from Sanya's pale hair and standing back to admire her work, "That looks good. Now, shall we head down?" She laid down the brush, and headed for the door, beckoning to her companion.

Sanya made a noise of agreement and after searching her hair for any misplaced locks, rose from her seat and followed Perrine out into the hallway.

The two girls exchanged very few words on their trip down to the mess hall. Aside from commenting on small things and greeting other witches, they remained silent. It wasn't because they didn't know what to say; rather it was that they found each other's company relaxing enough that words weren't always required. It was a nice kind of silence that Sanya realized that she was only able to share with very few people.

The two entered the mess hall, where a few Witches had already started on their meals. There weren't very many of them, and some looked like that had woken up right on the spot, due to their messy hair and rumpled clothing. One girl hadn't even bothered to put on her uniform, and sat eating her breakfast contentedly in her underwear.

Breakfast was good, as it should be. Sanya had regained her appetite now that she was no longer in a rut, and she was eating as well as she ever had been. The food tasted better every day that she ate there, as every day was a day closer to returning to Eila's side. And that meant that everything would be back to normal.

But not completely normal. Sanya was determined to make a few changes in their interactions between one another and show her appreciation for the Suomi a little bit more. Maybe they could get even closer. She still wasn't sure what had exactly happened between them, but she was certain that it was somehow her fault, and she was determined to fix it.

Sanya blushed and sunk low in her seat at the table. She had felt a rush of giddiness at the thoughts; holding Eila's hand when they walked, feeding each other food, and other progressively intimate things that were so lewd that she felt her face start to burn.

Sanya had never thought that girls loving other girls was an odd thing. Before she had become a Witch, she had read an article with her parents by a professor who had studied the magical nature and history of Witches throughout time. Through her extensive research, she discovered when and why Witches had appeared, and why it was completely impossible for males to have similar magical powers. The professor had many interesting theories, one of them being the idea of all Witches being daughters of the wind spirit Ilmatar. Sanya had been very surprised when she had found out that part of Eila's middle name had matched it; it was as if the Suomi's mother and father knew that their daughter would become a Witch.

There was one part of the article that had stood out to her the most:

"… _In the majority of Witches I've had the chance to talk with and "study", I've found that Witches are attracted to other females, namely fellow Witches, as naturally as the common people are drawn towards the opposite gender. Homosexual relationships between Witches are very, very common, and should be supported, not shunned. Witches taking part in such relationships have been proven to have vast improvements in all areas of their being. In the past, there have been some reports of Witches procreating through some unknown means, leading to the birth of magically inherent daughters …"_

She remembered looking over to her father and mother, a mixture of confusion and worry on her face. What would happen if she fell in love with a Witch? Would her parents, a husband and wife, disapprove?

Her father, a noble and wise man, had smiled, laid a hand upon her head and said, "Worry not, dear Sanya. Whoever fate brings you, as long as you are happy, I am as well." After that, a relieved Sanya began dreaming of being in the arms of other girls, instead of boys. She would wake up from such a dream the next morning, feeling extremely happy, and she knew that the words of the professor rang true.

"Don't tell me that cereal reminds you of Eila too," Perrine remarked from across the table, as she witnessed her comrade blushing into the bowl, "And I dearly hope you don't say something like, 'Oh, it's sweet, just like Eila!' because that would be slightly odd."

Sanya looked up in shock. It wasn't like Perrine to tease anyone; she was a noble Gallian lady after all. But the worry she had was for naught; the blonde had a good natured smile on her lips, and Sanya felt herself smile and giggle in response. Inwardly she admitted that had indeed thought of the cereal concept once, but it was only because she had been tired at the time. Perhaps this experience was good for the both of them.

Seeing as Sanya had finished her food at last (she was naturally a slow eater), Perrine took the lead and rose to her feet, and gathered her dishes in her hands, Sanya following suit. She gave a small smile and nod to Ursula, who had noticed them getting up. The Hartmann sister lifted a hand and smiled back happily from the table across from them, a piece of toast still dangling from her mouth. Perrine had more than once mistakenly called her Erica, so the Gallian had settled to just calling both of them "Hartmann". At least she would never be wrong that way.

Setting their plates down at the far table, the two headed out to start on the day's tasks, namely base maintenance and training. They shivered slightly as they were blasted with chilly air when they pushed open the main doors of the base. It was a bright, clear day in Kauhava, and the sky was a brilliant blue colour. Sanya could see for miles, and remembered that Witches always favored this kind of day; Neuroi could be spotted from miles away by just about anyone. Surprisingly, no snowflakes seemed to be drifting down from the heavens at this time, leaving only the frigid air in its absence.

"Okay! I suppose it's nice out," Perrine commented, shielding her eyes from the sun and staring across the runway, "It's quite cold, but I suppose it could be worse." She took a step onto the runway, and suddenly slipped; it was still icy. She squeaked in surprise, and grabbed onto Sanya.

The Orussian was caught unaware; she had been staring thoughtfully in what she guessed to be the direction of the 502nd's airbase, and had no time to get a foothold as she was pulled down by Perrine's weight onto the icy ground. She started giggling even before she hit the ground. It was absurd; Witches could take on massive alien spacecraft, but they still had trouble keeping their balance on ice. It was a nice little reminder that they were still more or less the same.

It had also reminded her of a time during her stay the 502nd Airbase, where she had come out to greet the Witches returning from a mission. Eila, who had been walking with Nipa, Waltrud, and Kanno, had seen her in the distance and waved happily. Just as Sanya had raised her hand to return the wave, Eila disappeared from view. The other three had just stopped, and stared for a second before breaking out laughing. Sanya had hurried over, worried that Eila had collapsed from exhaustion, but had found out that Eila had tripped over her own feet and fallen face first straight into a snowbank. Getting up, she was a good enough sport to laugh along with them, before latching onto Sanya.

"My apologies, Sanya," Perrine managed after she had recovered. Both of them were lying down, flat on their backs on the icy runway, "Er … are you okay?" She turned her head sideways, and upon seeing her companion giggling, she felt a smile rise up on her face, and started laughing as well. Seeing Sanya in high spirits was a very nice feeling. Perhaps it was because the Orussian resembled Amelie in some ways; in her quiet presence and soft appearance.

"Yes, I'm okay." Sanya smiled back, after catching her breath. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the cold ground and pretended she was at a beach, instead in the middle of an icy runway in the dead of winter. "What do we have first?"

"Let me see …" Perrine replied, as she searched her pockets. A girl suddenly zipped by, down the runway, but the blonde paid her no mind. Giving a small noise of triumph, she pulled the paper that contained their orders and held it above her, squinting against the sunlight. "We have some time on the range later, combat formation flying training, cooking duty, and right now we have patrol with … with …" The Gallian squinted harder and brought her face closer to the page.

"With?"

"My, I always forget how to pronounce her name." Perrine passed the sheet over to her friend. "I'm afraid of saying it incorrectly and insulting her."

Taking the sheet, Sanya copied Perrine in her examination, "Cenni? Giu … Giuseppina Cenni."

"That's me!" said a voice that belonged to neither of them. The two looked up to see a Romagna girl standing over them, white hair cascading over her green uniform, a wide smile accompanying two bright blue eyes. It was indeed Giuseppina Cenni the "Pasta Officer"; the playful girl who enjoyed gliding down icy runways in her spare time, and eating her breakfast in her underwear.

Sanya had not really talked with her prior to this encounter, as the girl seemed to disappear around the base a lot, but had heard a lot about her. She and Sakomizu Haruka, a fellow 507th Witch, were famous for their constant battles for the affection of the "White Lightning", another Witch who was blissfully unaware of their motives. The Orussian had also been shocked to hear that the girl had once been brainwashed by the Neuroi, and had lost both her memories as well as a lot of her more advanced flight skills. There had also been a report of another brainwashing attempt, that one against a 522nd Karlsland Night Witch, who had promptly lost her vision. Much to everyone's relief, a Farawayland Witch had restored it sometime later.

Sanya considered that to be an extremely scary thing; her memories were very precious to her. She'd rather lose her vision sooner than forget about her parents, or the first time she had met Eila, or that time one time she had come upon Eila's sleeping form and almost …! Yes, memories were irreplaceable, and what was anyone without their memories?

"Are you two ready to patrol? Or would you permit me to join you in the act of making snow angels in the ice?" The girl smiled happily down at them, her garrison cap almost falling off her head. Her bright mood seemed to radiate outwards, betraying not a care in the world.

Sanya looked over to Perrine, as she usually followed other people's leads. She planted her hands beneath her, ready to get up, because she expected Perrine to want to get on with their duty. The Gallian's reply came as a surprise.

"Well, how long do we have until we have to be in the air?"

"About 20 or so minutes. We're pretty early." Came the Romagnan's reply.

"Snow angels it is. Or should I say ice angels?"

Sanya laughed out loud, slipping her hands out from under her and spreading them out as far as she could go. She wiggled away from Perrine to create some room, and began making her angel. The Romagnan plopped down near her, in a better pile of snow, and followed suit.

So three of the world's greatest warriors lay there, making ridiculous snow angels. That was until Giuseppina's bare legs started freezing, and they decided to skate down to the hangar and get themselves into the air.

_[DISTORTED]_

"Are you certain?"

The hand holding the radio receiver whitened as the instrument was gripped harder as the girl holding it shifted her position.

"Yes," came the reply, crackling through the ear piece, "She's been in this condition for awhile now, and Georgette believes it to be caused by a combination of physical, magical, and emotional damage."

"Do you know when she will awaken?"

"Undetermined. This kind of condition is unpredictable. But she is not subject to any further harm … yet."

"Yet?"

"Yet. When she wakes up, there's no telling what effects the trauma will have on her. She will certainly retain her magical abilities, but there are other things that could happen."

Major Sakamoto sighed; she should've expected Eila to do something so reckless. She could've gotten a Witch or two to watch her or something. "How about that Farawaylander? The one who healed the Night Witch who lost her vision?"

"She cannot come at the moment; the 522nd's Area of Operation has come under heavy Neuroi siege lately, and she is needed there for healing. Besides; a Combat Medic's highest priority are those of her own unit. She will be dispatched to Eila's location when the offensives have slowed," came Aleksandra's reply.

"Ah." Mio paused thoughtfully. She knew the responsibilities of a Combat Medic, but it was worth a try.

"Do you intend on informing her wingman? I've already informed Commander Wilcke of the situation, but she has delegated the task of deciding to you, since you and Litvyak are stationed at the same base."

Mio thought for a second. Sanya had been so depressed on the flight to the base that the Major had wanted to commandeer the plane and fly her right back. Or at least send her on an earlier plane back. But there weren't any planes bound for Petersburg until the end of the week. The military didn't spare planes for broken hearts. But Sanya had miraculously improved over the last two or so days, thanks to the efforts of Perrine, and Mio didn't want to bring the girl's morale down right away. As much as it pained her, Mio decided that Sanya would have to stay in the dark for a little while longer.

"No, informing her will cause her to crash emotionally. And there is still a chance of Eila waking up before we arrive, am I wrong?"

"Affirmative, there's a chance. Once you arrive, have her come to Georgette and I. If she has to hear it from anyone, it should be a healer."

"Then let's hope she wakes up before then."

_[DISTORTED]_

One by one, the squadron of Witches touched down on the runway. Heading towards the hangar, they spotted a few messy snow angels on the side of the runway, and smiles broke out onto a few of their faces. The rest of them just looked bemused. The patrol had gone smoothly; no Neuroi had shown themselves, or were reported in the area. They had gone right into formation flying as soon as they returned. New patterns were always interesting, and Sanya found them more fun than usual. Although she had almost smacked Perrine with her Fliegerhammer when executing a tough maneuver, and actually nailed Giuseppina in the stomach during another. The Romagnan had waved it off good naturedly, laughing while trying to catch her breath.

Sanya wondered if Giuseppina's mood had ever been foul. It seemed that nothing could bring that girl's spirit down; not even a solid shot to the gut by a hefty piece of ordnance could wipe that smile away.

The three had spent their patrol just chatting together, but mostly listening to Giuseppina's master plans of capturing Tomoko's heart, and defeating Haruka. It ranged from relatively normal (with gifts of flowers and the like), to plain weird (creating handmade curtains with their faces emblazoned on them), to the downright insane (which involved Giuseppina challenging Haruka to a fencing duel, though it was questionable that either of them had ever fenced before, let alone picked up a rapier). Perrine had good-naturedly imparted all of her knowledge of fencing unto her Romagnan comrade, much to Sanya's surprise.

Stowing their weapons and Strikers into the appropriate holsters and launchers, many of the Witches parted ways, as they had various duties to attend to. Yoshika and Lynette returned to the skies; it was their time to patrol.

"Good work up there!" came Major Sakamoto's voice as the two Witches roared away. She had been watching the squadron perform maneuvers with a pair of binoculars from her place on the ground. "You are all excellent Witches!"

"Thank you kindly, Major." Perrine said happily. Although her "schoolgirl crush" on the Major had passed, praise from superiors was always welcome. The Major laughed heartily as Sanya smiled thankfully. Giuseppina jokingly pretended to brush the imaginary dirt from her uniform and polish her equally nonexistent medals mounted on her chest, acting like it was no big deal, although she was exhausted and damp with sweat.

"Now if I'm not mistaken, I believe that Ursula wanted to meet you down at the range, Sanya. She has something she wants you to try; bring your Fliegerhammer."

"Roger, "Sanya confirmed as she waved goodbye to the Major and started walking in the direction of the range, Perrine following in her wake. She had not gone 2 steps before she felt a tugging on her arm. She turned around in curiosity.

Giuseppina had caught a hold of her wrist and was looking at her cheerfully, despite being tired, "Can I come too?"

"Of course you can," Sanya replied, happy to have apparently made a new friend, "But you seem a little tired. Are you sure you don't want to rest?"

"That's okay," the Romagnan smiled, "I want to spend time with you two. Besides, I can rest while you practice shooting." She suddenly took the lead and began walking towards the range. Without commenting on how the range would be the worst possible place to rest, the other two smiled at each other and retrieved their weapons once again.

The range was on the other side of the base, and was inside a long, warehouse like building, with one long metal door for an entrance. The door was open, and invited the Witches into the room. Seeing as Ursula didn't seem to be there, the two decided to practice. Giuseppina picked up a pair of binoculars to report on their accuracy as Perrine fired off a few rounds with her Bren LMG, before switching to one of the Suomi rifles leaning off to the side. Sanya, already a professional with her Fliegerhammer, decided to pick up an Orussian Mosin Nagant and fired at the targets at the opposite end of the building that were shaped like Neuroi crystals.

Just as she was admiring her moderately placed shots, a quiet voice from the doorway greeted them, "Hello." The three Witches turned around to see Ursula Hartmann standing in the doorway, a large case clutched in her arms.

"Hello Hartmann," Perrine greeted, and her companions waved as well, "You wanted to see dear Sanya here?"

The blonde Witch nodded and led them outside to the heavy ordnance range, lying in the snow perpendicular to the indoor range. The heavy ordnance range had no material target, just an area of blasted snow at the base of a hill, signifying the target zone. Different charred patches charred the area in between the black boundaries of the range.

"I would like you to try out this new rocket." Ursula began as they all reached the foot of the range. Giuseppina lay down just off to the side of them atop the small slope flanking the range, propping her head up with one arm. The Hartmann put down and opened the case, a bunch of rockets spilling out of it. Perrine and Sanya cautiously stepped backwards away from the overflowing ordnance as Hartmann began looking over the seemingly identical rockets. Finally, she chose one and gathered it in her arms. She turned around as she stood up, and held it out. "Please try this one first."

Sanya held out her Fliegerhammer and let Ursula load it into the upper left chamber, changing her weapon's mode from _Salvo-Fire_ to _Single-Fire_. _Single-Fire_ allowed more accuracy in her barrages, as it only fired chamber by chamber, but damage output per shot was reduced compared to the devastation of _Salvo-Fire_.

"This rocket, in theory, should not explode on impact, but penetrate into armour before detonating in a full 360 degree radius." Hartmann explained as she armed the chosen rocket, "They are thinking of arming the Air Force planes with this, but I want to try it here first. It should also fly completely straight." She stood back, accidently bumping her case and spilling a few more rockets. Hartmann tapped a stray rocket backwards with her foot.

"Uhm … are you sure you should be kicking it like that?" Perrine asked cautiously.

"Don't worry; I don't think those ones are armed." Hartmann answered with a smile and a light wave of her hand.

"I'd feel safer if you were completely certain …" said Perrine as she put some distance in between herself and the possibly live ammunition.

"Alright Sanya, please fire when ready. Aim for the very center of that blasted circle."

Sanya nodded and took aim with her massive weapon. Since it was impossible to look down the barrel of the cannon, she had to trust her aim, and she had fired this weapon enough to know that her aim was always more or less true. Without flinching, she pointed it downrange and squeezed the trigger.

Although having the forward thrust of the propellant gases escaping out the rear of the Fliegerhammer counteracting the majority of the recoil, Sanya still experienced massive kickback, and her weapon's barrel went skyward.

Despite all of this, the rocket had not flown very far, and plopped onto the grass a mere 25 ft away. Sanya, Ursula, and Perrine all immediately threw up their shields, while Giuseppina decided to roll herself away through the snow down the small slope.

There was a moment of silence as they waited for the explosion that never came. After a few seconds, Ursula calmly picked up the rocket and began to inspect it.

"That wasn't very straight … or far." Perrine said wearily as they dropped their shields.

"It wasn't." Ursula agreed, still inspecting the rocket. "I must've done something wrong here …" she muttered, turning it over in her hands. She slapped it once and that was enough for Perrine.

"I'm going to go back to the indoor range." She said apologetically, "I'm not good around live explosives, especially if someone is striking it." She mouthed "_Be safe"_ to Sanya, and hurried back into the relatively safer building, where she wouldn't have to witness someone whacking at a possibly live rocket.

"Well, I assembled that one incorrectly." Ursula reported to her one remaining companion, seemingly not disturbed or surprised by the absence of the other two, "Shall we try another one?" She tossed the faulty rocket over her shoulder with surprising strength.

"Yes, let's." Sanya answered as the "faulty" rocket blasted a hole in the snow behind them.

_[DISTORTED]_

The day went on without much incident. A few of Ursula's rockets had worked, and none had exploded in either of their faces. After they had retrieved Giuseppina, who had fallen asleep at the bottom of the hill, Sanya had gone and taken a nap, getting ready for her night patrol while the other two did whatever it was they were doing.

Sanya awoke to an empty room. Upon looking out the window, she saw that it was late afternoon, and soon she and Perrine would have to help prepare some food for the Witches of the 502th. Halfway to the mess hall, she realized that she would have time to spare, so she headed to the communications room. She really wanted to speak with Eila, she really wanted to hear the girl's voice again.

After getting clearance with the Witch in charge of communications, Sanya picked up the receiver and waited as her line was patched through to the 502nd's Airbase in Petersburg. She was using a Witch only line, which the military had granted to Witches for any way that they see fit; and that included squad mate calls.

"This is 502nd, Petersburg. Send your traffic, Kauhava." A voice crackled over the transmission. Is that Edytha?

"This is Flying Officer Sanya Litvyak of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, requesting to speak with Flying Officer Eila Juutilainen, over." Sanya replied clearly, excitement rising.

"Copy that, stand by."

Sanya waited and waited. Mere seconds seemed to stretch into minutes as she waited for her beloved's voice. Finally, Edytha's voice returned.

"Er … negative on your request. Flying Officer Juutilainen is currently unable to take your transmission, over."

Sanya sighed, Eila was probably out on a mission, or training, or something like that. There was nothing she could do at the moment. "Understood, over and out." She set down the radio, and thanked the communications Witch as she exited the room, lost in her thoughts.

Passing by the Commander's office, she bumped into Perrine just as the Gallian was exiting, a smile on her face that only grew when she saw her Orussian friend.

" 'Good morning' again Sanya," she said jokingly, taking the girl's arm and steering them in the direction of the mess hall, "Sleeping well?"

"Yes." Sanya smiled back, the missed call already the least of her worries. "What were you doing in the Commander's officer, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Ah, I was asking her if I could go visit someone." Perrine replied, a twinkle in her eyes, "I'll be leaving for the Isle of Wight soon!"

Sanya felt happiness swell in her; Perrine was finally visiting Amelie! "When do you leave?" she asked eagerly.

"Aha, I'll be leaving on the same day that you are!" The Gallian replied brightly as she held open the door of the mess hall for Sanya, "Although I'll have to stay over in the 522nd's base for a night. It should be fine."

"That's great Perrine!" Sanya enthused, rolling up her sleeves as they entered the kitchen, "She'll be so happy to see you!"

"I'm sure she will, but not as happy as Eila will be when you return." Perrine laughed, "Now, should we get started?"

Sanya nodded, and they both turned towards the door they had just come through with smiles on their faces, ready to accept Giuseppina's offer to help as the Romagnan burst through the doors.

_[DISTORTED]_

Sanya and Perrine sunk with pleasure into the hot bath of the Airbase. Hot water was definitely the cure for any kinds of stress, and as the heat consumed their naked bodies, their exhaustion washed away. They sat contentedly as they listened to Giuseppina explain more of her plans to them, sitting on the ledge opposite to them.

" … And then, I'll jump on her dressed as a butterfly …Hold on!" Giuseppina suddenly began listening intently. "It's her!" She gestured happily to the room adjacent to them.

Sure enough, the three could hear Anabuki Tomoko humming happily in the next room as she stripped for her bath.

"Oh … what can I do?" Giuseppina wracked her mind for ideas, slipping her darker body into the pool near them. "Haruka isn't here … yet! So here's my chance!" She began pacing the pool in thought.

Sanya had an idea almost instantly, "Giuseppina! Go pretend you're washing up under the shower, and then offer to wash her too!" She was giddy at the prospect of getting the two together.

"Good idea!" Giuseppina lifted herself out of the water and grabbed a bar of soap nearby. She positioned herself right under the shower and began to clean herself once again, despite doing it only a few minutes earlier.

Right at that moment, Anabuki Tomoko walked into the steamy room amidst some expertly placed steam clouds. "Hello you two!" she greeted cheerfully, and made her way over to the shower near Giuseppina, "Hi Cenni!" She picked up a bar of soap and began to scrub herself down.

Poor Giuseppina tapped Tomoko on the shoulder and stammered nervously, "W-would … would you like m-me to wash you?" A blush exploded across her face as the words left her mouth, and she instinctively looked downwards, accidently making eye contact with Tomoko's chest.

Tomoko blushed as well, and looked over to the two in the pool, who were watching them intently. Perrine whirled around and started whistling, embarrassed at being caught, and Sanya ducked underwater for a few seconds, coming up just in time to hear Tomoko accept.

Giuseppina assumedly got to work cleaning her object of affection, because the two in the pool heard some small gasps coming from the showers, but they didn't dare look back. They made awkward eye contact with each other as they tried to wait it out, permitting themselves only to look back when Tomoko set herself down in the pool near them, blushing furiously.

Their Romagnan friend seemed to be in paradise; she was starry eyed as she walked back towards the pool. Sanya suddenly had an idea, and tried to toss her bar of soap onto the floor near Tomoko.

Perrine just laughed in disbelief when she saw what Sanya was trying to set up. Blushing, she remembered when she had slipped on a bar herself and landed on the Major's lap. The Orussian was aiming for the same thing, except the plan fell to ruins when Giuseppina happened to step over it.

Sanya's initial frown of disappointment turned to joy when the Romagnan tripped on her own accord, and landed straight in Tomoko's bare lap with a splash. If she had been in paradise before, she was in heaven now. Poor Tomoko was blushing like there was no tomorrow, and probably "looked like a tomato", as a certain blonde in an alternate universe might say when addressing her purple haired love.

The four sat around as they took in the situation. The silence was broken as Haruka barged naked into the room, crying out "No fair!" Not wearing her glasses, she failed to see the bar of soap on the floor, and an all too familiar scene broke out, much to Perrine's embarrassment.

However, her trajectory was higher than anyone had ever seen, and she crashed into the pool moderately far away from everyone else. Breaching the water like a dolphin, she started splashing her way over to Tomoko, and Giuseppina who still sat on her lap, enjoying their bare skin contact.

Her behavior was so ridiculous that Sanya had to scramble out of the pool, Perrine in her literal wake, so she could break down laughing in the next room, her Gallian friend joining her. It's debatable as to whether either of them heard the "Thanks!" from their friend in the other room through all their laughter.

_[DISTORTED]_

"Visit me again sometime, okay?" Giuseppina said to both of them as she hugged both of them with one arm each, "It's been fun!"

"Of course, Giuseppina!" Sanya smiled happily, hugging back. It was the end of the week, and it was time for them to part ways for now. They were standing on the runway, luggage already loaded, as two planes rumbled impatiently behind them. One would bring Perrine to her temporary stay at the 522nd Airbase, and the other would bring Sanya back to 502nd, but more importantly, Eila.

"Yes, it was quite enjoyable. Stay safe Giuseppina, so we might spend time together again, just the three of us." Perrine replied cheerfully as she stepped back from the embrace.

"Of course! Till wherever, whenever!" And with one last smile, she glided back towards Tomoko, probably to pry Haruka off.

"Good luck you two!" Mio said, coming up beside them. "Stay safe, and I'll inform you when we are to move into a new Airbase. Well, I'm off to visit Commander Wilcke." She walked towards another plane on the opposite end of the base, lifting her hand in farewell.

"Bye Major!" The two remaining witches chorused, saluting.

The Major turned around, "Oh, Sanya, please report to Commander Pokryshkin as soon as you land, alright?" She forced a smile, and continued on her way.

"Understood!" Sanya called out, and turned as she felt Perrine grasp her hands. The Gallian was wearing a bright smile.

"So … good luck to us both, huh?"

"Nn!" Sanya made a noise of affirmation, and pulled Perrine in for a hug, "Thank you Perrine, for making me feel better."

"My pleasure." Perrine insisted, holding Sanya at arm's length, "See you soon, and remember …" She leaned in close and whispered, "Eila will always love you, no matter what happens. Take care of her." And then she kissed Sanya on the forehead.

She drew back sheepishly, "Sorry! Got caught up in the moment there. It's like I'm sending my daughter off to the military or something. Eila would probably kill me if she saw that." She laughed.

Sanya giggled, "It's okay. Thanks!" They both knew Perrine's peck on the forehead had been of friendship; a good luck charm. They separated and got into each separate plane, each going to a different future that would cross in the near future.

However, something still tugged at the back of Sanya's mind as she settled onto the steel bench in the plane beside a female crewmember. Something didn't feel right about Major's orders and forced smile. She supposed that she would just have to wait and find out for herself. As she drifted off to sleep, lulled by the rumbling of the aircraft as it took to the air, she wondered what to expect when she finally set foot back in Petersburg.

_[Distorted – End of Chapter Four – Day by Day]_

_Author here. First of all, thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favourites! They are all really appreciated._

_For those of you that have read "As Chance Would Have It", you know that my format for that is the beginning being relatively normal, and then starts getting ridiculous around the end._

_For this story it's: Be scared of not having enough ideas for a chapter, put it off for numerous weeks, and then hunker down and write even more than you expected._

_As an apology for the wait (if you even remember this story), this chapter is the longest one of them all._

_I tried to fit a few of my headcanons in here, such as the spirit Ilmatar being the 'mother' of all Witches, Witches preferring homosexual relations with other Witches, and most importantly, MALES CAN'T FUCKING HAVE MAGIC. Yeah, screw your male inserts._

_Giuseppina ended up having a larger presence than I had planned, but she was kind of fun to include._

_ALSO, the Farawaylander and Karlsand Night Witch are two of my OCs, which belong to my own Joint Fighter Wing; the 522__nd__ Citadel Witches. 22 is a tribute to my favourite novel; Catch 22. They might appear later._

_Anyway, now that the filler chapter is out of the way, the real story can continue. Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter!_

_Author, over and out._


	5. Heartbeats

_Heartbeats_

_..._

"_Hey ... Sanya ... can you hear me?"_

_..._

Intuition or ("gut feeling" as some people like to call it) can be a tricky thing to deal with, as it is completely unpredictable, and more importantly, not always accurate. One could have a completely dark, forbidding, heart sinking feeling about entering a room, and the said room could just as likely be holding a bunch of friends welcoming you home just as much as a magician coming to steal your precious thing. Some people completely rely on this feeling, but some have been fooled by it too much to trust it any more.

Sanya felt that her intuition was rather accurate most of the time, although it would never be as good as Eila's premonitory abilities. One time when she was a child, she had had a bad feeling about going outside to play in the field near her house, and decided to stay indoors. Sure enough, a thunderstorm had struck out of nowhere, throwing down bolts of lightning amid the downpour of rain. In the safety of her home, Sanya found herself thanking her own heart for warning her of bad things to come. Afterwards, she promised to herself that she would trust her heart whenever it decided to tell her something, an event that didn't come very often.

It was probably because of her heart that she had gotten lost when she first arrived at her new squadron's Airbase about a year ago. Commander Wilcke had been out on an early morning mission with half of the active Witches, and the twin tailed Romagnan who let her into the base hadn't been much help, only sleepily giving vague directions to her room. Sanya had panicked and run off after the girl, who introduced herself as Francesca, decided to "measure" her chest with a full on, merciless grope. It probably would've been a better idea to wait in the common room for the Commander, but her heart had urged her onwards through the maze of the unfamiliar building. Experiencing no forbidding feelings from her heart, Sanya had continued through the hallways thoughtfully.

Turning the corner in hopes of finding her quarters, the Orussian was instead surprised by another girl, who had decided to turn the same corner at the exact same time. Startled, Sanya didn't even get a good look at the girl's face before she stepped back and tripped over her own feet at the light haired girl's sudden appearance. The girl had seemingly expected this to happen, avoiding a full collision by slithering past her and ending up on the other side, arms already open for the falling girl.

The next thing Sanya knew, she was in the arms of the one who would unknowingly become the most important person in her life. The girl had her arms around her, under through Sanya's armpits, and as the Orussian lay in that position she looked up at the upside down face of the girl. Her heart held no dread or foreboding feeling as her green eyes met the stranger's purple ones. Instead, she was filled with an odd sense of safety and comfort as she lay in those arms, the same kind of feeling she always experienced in her dreams of those faceless, nameless girls as they held her close, filling her entire body with incredible warmth. The kind of warmth that made one feel drowsy with a lazy sort of happiness, like the sun shining on you as you lay in the grass.

That was exactly what Sanya had felt, except that it had been multiplied a hundredfold, and she had become dizzy from the feeling.

"Hey, are you okay?" the girl had asked worriedly, peering down at Sanya, "Sorry about that, I thought that you were Barkhorn; I was going to ambush her." The girl propped the Orussian upright. She wore a light blue tunic, signifying that she was of some Suomi airforce. The whole of the girl's outfit seemed to revolve around the colours of white and blue. As she recovered, Sanya found herself wondering how hard it would be to find the girl if she was to lie down in snow. At least Orussian uniforms weren't red; red would be extremely easy to spot against the white snow.

"Y-yeah," Sanya answered quietly, still trying to figure out what she was feeling, and what exactly was tugging on the edges of her heart. She brought her hands up to her face and found that they were shaking slightly. Looking up, she found that the girl was gazing intently at her, a questioning look that caused Sanya to avert her gaze, intimidated. She was afraid of the girl judging her on her frail, weak looks.

"Ah," the girl said finally, "You must be the newest member. Flying Officer Alexsandra Litvyak, yes?"

Sanya nodded, eyes still averted, and replied quietly, "Yes. Please call me Sanya ..."

The girl stuck out her hand with a smile, "And I'm Flying Officer Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen of Suomus, pleased to meet you Sanya! Welcome to the 501st Strike Witches!"

Sanya carefully returned her gaze to the girl, and for some reason she felt her face heat up as she met the friendly purple eyes of Eila. "Please take care of me ..." she said softly, extending her own hand.

It was as if she was struck by one of those lightning bolts she had avoided that one stormy day as a child. The instant they touched, and her smaller hand fit perfectly into the cup of Eila's slightly larger one, her heart exploded, stunning her where she stood, and causing a red hot blush to erupt on her cheeks. Eila seemed to be also experiencing the same thing; sporting a red sheen and a surprised expression of her own. It was unexplainable, but most of all it felt _right._ Sanya felt such a sense of belonging, that she didn't want to let go.

They held each other's hand for enough time that it was no longer considered a handshake, until Eila let go reluctantly, laughing nervously. "So ... were you looking for your quarters?" she asked, turning away to hide her blush.

"Yes ..."

"You're in my room. Let me take you there then." Eila said, and Sanya could hear the smile in her voice as the Suomi walked off. Sanya didn't know what this wonderful feeling was, but she was sure that she would figure it out if she just followed her heart. And her heart was urging her down the hallway in the early morning sunlight, towards the girl with the long pale hair, beautiful purple eyes, and the colours of Orussia running down her forehead.

_[DISTORTED]_

Sanya was suddenly jarred from her sleep by someone shaking her shoulder softly. She looked sleepily over to see that she had fallen asleep against a crewmember sometime during the flight. She sat up instantly, embarrassed. They were still in the air, as the plane was rumbling loudly and moving beneath her, like some sort of restless beast. A look through one of the side windows betrayed nothing but clouds.

"Sorry Flying Officer," the woman smiled, raising a hand apologetically, "But I was ordered by Major Sakamoto to wake you up before we land, and remind you that you have to report to Commander Pokryshkin. The Sergeant..." she gestured to a man sleeping in a ridiculous position on one of the benches near the cockpit, "... and I will unload your belongings and move your equipment to the hangar."

Sanya nodded in response at the Flight Sergeant, betraying no reply, and settled her head back against the cold steel of the aircraft wall, trying to gather her thoughts. She had relived that moment, the first meeting with Eila, in her thoughts and often in her dreams. It was no unusual occurrence, but she was puzzled at the presence of blood in this particular instance. _That_ had never appeared before, and it frightened her, and only heightened her anxiety. She _needed _to see Eila now, _needed _to make sure she was alright, and to make sure that everything was alright between them, so the good times could go on and she would be able to continue experiencing the wonderful feeling.

That feeling that Sanya had discovered was love. It was the feeling that the one article about Witches had explained could happen between Witches, the feeling she experienced in the arms of the nameless girls of her dreams. The wonderful feeling that Eila's presence brought, and only seemed to grow and grow over time, never faltering.

It's been about one week, and while it had been a good experience, Sanya just really wanted to be in her beloved's arms again. But her heart was warning her that something bad was ahead. A sharp bump from below signalled that they had landed on the runway of 502nd's Airbase, and one step closer to Eila.

_502__nd__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Petersburg, Orussia_

As soon as the rear ramp of the plane hit the runway below, and Sanya impatiently hurried down it with her belongings in tow, she knew something was wrong. Kanno Naoe, Waltrud Krupinski, and Edytha Roßmann were waiting for her on the runway with poorly masked troubled expressions. None of them offered any sort of greeting other than a weak wave from the instructor. Kanno met her eyes for about half a second before looking away guiltily.

The runway and area around the Airbase looked the exact same as Sanya had left it, just a week before. Snow was falling, and biting wind whipped against her face, stinging mercilessly against her cheeks.

Sanya scanned the runway through the gently falling snow, panic rising in her heart as she broke out in cold sweat. Where was Eila? Was she still mad at her? Because Eila surely should've been here, right? Maybe she was just on a mission, or sleeping, or...!

"W-what's happened?" Sanya implored unsteadily as she made contact with the runway, suddenly feeling weaker than she was before, "Where's Eila? Is she here? Is she okay?" She raised her eyes pleadingly at the trio before her, begging them to answer her, or just say something, _anything_ to reassure her.

The Witches flanking Edytha, Waltrud and Kanno, said nothing as they passed her, giving apologetic glances as they headed up the ramp. They commandeered Sanya's Strikers and Fliegerhammer from the very surprised, but grateful crewmembers that had been struggling with the equipment. As they passed her once again on their way down, Waltrud briefly put her free hand comfortingly on Sanya's shoulder, the other hand hefting the massive Fliegerhammer, before the two silent Witches walked off towards the hangar to stow her gear.

Sanya turned back towards the white haired instructor desperately, holding her hands out, "Where's Eila?" she repeated worriedly.

Edytha gently took the Orussian's bags from her, beckoning for her to follow. "I'm not authorized to tell you; the Commander will brief you on Eila's status," she said softly, looking apologetically at Sanya before turning towards the base, "Please follow me; she's waiting for you."

_Status?_

Status could mean many things; it could mean the Witch's magical reserves, the assignment or mission she was on, or it could just mean whether she was on leave or something. But ... status could also refer to the Witch's physical condition, which means that Eila might be hurt...!

The Orussian shook her head violently at the thought of Eila being injured. Eila couldn't be injured! Her magical power almost guaranteed that she would escape from combat unscathed, not to mention the shield Eila had been working on bringing back to its former glory; that was another thing to keep her safe. But then again, Eila was only human, and a single laser or stray piece of shrapnel could inflict serious damage. Still, Sanya denied the idea of her beloved Eila being critically injured, and convinced herself that Eila had taken an emergency leave to attend a hot springs festival in Suomus with her sister, or something just as dire.

But the sad and apologetic looks that the others had given her, in addition to Edytha not being able to say anything, unsettled Sanya, and weakened her own argument. But she could do nothing, except follow the instructor into the base, towards one of the briefing rooms in the left wing of the building. Shimohara Sadako, the Fuso witch who had cooked many delicious meals for the 502nd, passed by them as they traversed the halls and gave the same somber, apologetic look as the others had done before.

Sanya was going crazy. It was like the feeling of seeing Christmas presents under the tree a few days early, wondering what's inside and wanting to rip them open, but knowing you have to wait until the right time comes. Only this time, this "present" was something everything was hiding, only betraying its existence through their apologetic glances and orders to stay silent. The Orussian wasn't sure if she wanted to open this "present".

They finally reached the door of the room where the Commander presumably was waiting for her. Edytha sighed, and turned around to face her. Sanya met her eyes hopefully, wringing her hands nervously.

"I'm sorry I can't say anything," the instructor began, and Sanya's hopes were dashed, "But it would be better if you heard it from the Commander." She raised Sanya's bags, "I'll take these to your room, go on in." She walked a few steps down the hall towards the living quarters before turning around and saying comfortingly, "It'll be alright."

Before Sanya could reply, the door of the briefing room flew open and Nipa Katajainen, one of Eila's close friends, stormed into the hallway. Upon catching sight of Sanya, the Suomi stopped, let the door close behind her, and glared intensely at the Orussian, backing Sanya up against the wall in fear.

In a flash, Edytha was between them, with her back to Sanya, bags left at the end of the hall. The instructor stared evenly into Nipa's eyes, unflinching under the other girl's harsh gaze. When she spoke, it was in a soft and compromising voice. "Stand down, Katajainen."

The Suomi stared back hotly, unwilling to surrender. They were both of equal rank, so she wasn't obliged to follow the order. However, the instructor's presence, despite her slight frame, appeared to grow the longer Nipa stared until it overshadowed hers. Intimidated, Nipa tried to justify, "But she -!"

"It's not her fault ..." Edytha replied softly, unwavering in her stare, never breaking eye contact, "I know this is hard, it's hard for all us, but Eila was responsible for what happened to her, and you _mustn't _lay blame until we find out why it hap–"

"I _know_ why it happened!" Nipa challenged, glaring back, energy renewed as the fight came back to her, "It's because of _her!_ She's the reason that Eila is –"

"STAND DOWN," Edytha barked out suddenly, with surprising force that startled the other two Witches. The instructor, although of equal rank, had more power due to her seniority and experience over the Suomi. Taking advantage of the surprise she had instilled, she continued on, "You are deterring Sanya from her briefing, AND you are under orders to not speak of the incident in her presence." She stared evenly up at the taller girl. "Flight Sergeant Katajainen, DIS-MISSED!"

The Suomi opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but thought against it and said no more. The light haired girl turned on her heel and stalked off down the hallway.

Edytha gave a small sigh as she turned back towards Sanya, absentmindedly fiddling with her grey uniform, "I don't enjoy doing that at all ..." She stopped when she saw the horrified look on Sanya's face. The Orussian was still backed up against the wall, trembling hands supporting her equally trembling body.

Sanya was shocked; something _had_ happened to Eila after all! And Nipa said that it had somehow been her fault! Her heart began sinking as she processed what the Suomi had said. Eila was hurt! Hurt! And it was all her fault?! She didn't reply to any of Edytha's questions, but allowed herself to be led into the room by the instructor, and set down in front of Commander Aleksandra and Georgette Lemare, who had risen to their feet when they saw the girl's condition.

Edytha made a move to excuse herself from the room respectfully, but Sanya reached out towards her, begging her to stay. Edytha raised an eyebrow at the Commander, who nodded her assent. The instructor said softly, "I'll be right back" and left the room.

The two Witches seated in front of her said nothing, seemingly waiting for Edytha's return. Sanya stared at her hands in her lap mournfully, mind racing. What had happened to Eila? Is she okay? What had Sanya done to cause this to happen? The Orussian frantically searched her memories for the time she had last seen Eila, even before she had taken off for Kauhava. She looked for changes in Eila's behaviour, for events that might've upset the Suomi, but she came up blank. The only thing that was out of place was Eila's half-hearted reply to something Sanya had said, but she couldn't remember what it was. And that might not even be the reason, because Eila sometimes acted like that when she was tired.

Sanya heard the door open, and she turned around to see Edytha walk back into the room, with the Orussian's bags, and Kanno in tow. The little Fuso Witch once again gave a guilty look, before taking a seat upon one of the tables off to the side. Edytha put down the bags somewhere, and slid into the seat beside Sanya, squeezing the Orussian's shoulder comfortingly. Sanya looked towards the Commander, who had been gazing at her intently. Georgette was looking at a sheet of paper laid on the table.

With everybody apparently present, Aleksandra cleared her throat. "Now, I'm sure you know by now that your wingmate, Eila, is unwell." She waited for Sanya's response. When the girl didn't reply, Edytha gave a quick nod.

"When you left a week ago, she flew out of our Area of Influence into Neuroi territory. I sent Kanno and Edytha to pursue her ... but something happened." With that, she nodded at the two aforementioned Witches, and they hesitantly recounted the events to Sanya. Kanno apologized over and over, guilty because they hadn't made it before Eila was shot down.

When it was over, Sanya sat stunned, close to tears. After a few moments of silence, she managed to choke out a reply, "W-hy ... why didn't you tell me earlier?" She rose to her feet, the images of a hurt Eila paining her, and fuelling her voice. "I could've been there for her!" To think she had enjoyed herself for the majority of the week, not knowing that Eila was sitting injured, miserable in the medical ward! "Where is she now?! Is she okay?" she half sobbed, voice rising in pitch.

"We didn't tell you because there's more to this than you know," Aleksandra said softly, "Please, sit down and let Georgette tell you." The Commander got up, and walked around the table, placing a hand on the girl's free shoulder and eased her back into her seat, "You will see Eila when she's finished? I promise." Aleksandra looked kindly at the Orussian. Every Witch was considered family to her and to see one sob like so was heart wrenching. After all, they were all daughters of Ilmatar, and she was determined to make everything right to the best of her ability. She smiled as Sanya nodded tearfully, and gestured for Georgette to speak as she returned to her own seat.

"Okay, Sanya." Georgette began, taking a look at her papers, "Eila sustained a lot of laser damage, shrapnel damage from debris, and impact damage from the crash, all causing flesh wounds ..." Sanya winced. "... but I was able to heal those wounds to the best of my ability. Most of them are completely healed, but some still occasionally bleed for reasons unknown. There is also some small scarring on her forehead that I will be able to heal over time. "

"S- so ... so she's okay now?" Sanya sniffled hopefully, looking at the healer.

The healer paused. Shuffled her papers some more, and then hesitated. After giving her papers one last shuffle, she finally spoke, "There's ... more." She finally met Sanya's eyes.

Dread started to rise up in Sanya's heart and her vision began to blur. Her heart screamed at her to leave, but her legs wouldn't move an inch. Not one inch.

_This can't be happening._

"She was apparently mentally, physically ..."

_No ... _

" ... and magically exhausted, and all ..."

_No ... no ..._

" ...of those things contributed to her current condition. She's ..."

The rest of the room was silent as Georgette finished her sentence.

_[DISTORTED]_

Sanya was running. Her feet pounded the floor as tears trailed behind her. Where was the medical ward?! She couldn't remember. Her vision continued to blur as she cried, only wiping her eyes enough to make out the hallway in front of her. She shot past a startled Sadoka, and paid no heed to her calls. Reaching a stairwell, she decided to chance it, in hopes that it would lead her to her beloved Eila. As she ascended the steps, breathing hard, her mind went back a few minutes into the past.

She vaguely remembered hearing the word "coma", before cracking and dashing for the door in a blind rush. But she knew the kind of weight that the word held. Eila was in a coma. She had gotten shot down by a Neuroi, and now may never wake up again. And it was all Sanya's fault!? Her beloved Eila, the most important one in the world to her, may never smile at her again, or impart that wonderful feeling upon her? Thinking of this brought on a fresh set of tears.

She couldn't lose her now! Not now, not ever! There were so many things that had been left unsaid; it seemed so unfair to lose the chance to say such things! She just couldn't lose the one who made her feel alive, through her smiles, hugs, and protective ways; she just couldn't!

Turning a corner, Sanya felt the blood pounding in her ears. As soon as she had stepped into what she hoped to be the medical wing, she was slammed by a foreboding feeling that came from her heart, as terrifying and as piercing as an air raid siren. Her heart screamed, pleaded, _begged_ for her to not advance further; it didn't want her to see what was coming.

Sanya broke the promise she had made to herself that one stormy day in Orussia. For the first time ever, Sanya defied her heart and ran. Down the hallway, into the room where the air seemed the heaviest. The room where she collapsed, sobbing, beside a single bed. A bed where long pale hair lay sprawled, beautiful purple eyes unopened, and the colours of Orussia lay hidden beneath pure white bandages, as white as the Suomi snow.

_..._

"_Yes ...I can hear you ..."_

_..._

_[Distorted – End of Chapter Five – Heartbeats]_

_Author here._

_I sat down today with the intention of only starting this chapter, but ended up hammering out the whole thing. I'm especially proud of this chapter. I feel like I've really improved since I started this story, but I'd like to hear what you guys think. It's all appreciated!_

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks for reading, and I dearly hope to see you in the next one._

_Author, over and out._


	6. Deep Breath

_Deep Breath_

_..._

"_There's something I've always wanted to say._

_..._

_502__nd__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Petersburg, Orussia_

_Tick ... tick ..._

Wake up. Worry. Cry. Fly a mission. Feel helpless. Feel guilty. "Sleep". Eat when and if able.

_Tick ... tick ..._

This is the routine that became hardwired into Sanya's brain. It became a part of her everyday life. Days went by, crawling sluggishly along like an especially slow snail, intent on taking its sweet time. Seconds became minutes, which in turn felt like whole hours. Time flowed frustratingly slowly, as if the whole world wanted her to suffer, forcing her to see what she caused, the pain she had somehow brought on to the one most dear to her.

Tick ... tick ...

She had quickly grown to resent the steady ticking of the clock, which ticked away like nothing was wrong with the world; that everything was as it should be. Now it mocked her with every second that passed. At first the ticking had been one of her only companions, aside from the occasional whirr of the machine at the bedside as it administered necessities to its patient and recorded levels, and the steady, quiet breaths of the comatose as she dreamed of things unknown to the world. The arrival of the other common companion would often scare her off, however.

The deep breaths reminded Sanya that the girl was still alive. That Sanya herself was still alive.

The room remained dark throughout the day, its curtains drawn completely shut. It didn't matter to the room's occupant; she couldn't see the light anyway. And so the decision was delegated to whoever else was in the room at the time. Sanya liked to keep them closed when she was in the room, as she felt like sunlight would be unfitting for such a saddening situation. She was used to the dark anyway, and she could pretend that everything was normal; that the girl lying in bed was just sleeping for the night. Yes, just for the night, and then she would wake up the next morning ready to fly, ready to smile.

Sanya didn't react or move from her place as the door creaked open quietly. From her kneeling position on the side of the bed, with her face buried in the white sheets and hand clasping the girl's hand, she listened to the footsteps. Quick, quiet steps that barely made a noise as they made their way over to the bed. She could tell that it was the healer, Georgette Lemare, coming to check on the occupant. A small click was heard as the healer checked something on the machine. Sanya heard her sigh and scribble something down on a sheet of paper. Magic lit up the room for a few seconds, casting soft blue light on every wall as the healer scanned for who knows what. The comforting glow disappeared and the healer slipped out just as quietly as she came, footsteps fading down the hallway, peace returning to the room.

The Orussian stretched her cramped legs under her and groaned noiselessly, but didn't lift her head, nor did she release the girl's limp hand. The chairs left for visitors felt too impersonal; Sanya needed physical contact from the girl to stay sane, and sitting in a chair restricted her from getting too close without getting uncomfortable. So she chose to kneel beside the bed, with her head near the occupant's so she could listen to each breath she took, hoping the next one would carry words of some kind.

She hadn't always used that method. Sanya was small, and could fit easily on the bed beside the girl. That's exactly what she had done during the first day or so; lying beside her, hand in hand with one arm slung delicately over the girl or stroking the pale hair. But that was before she had been forced off. It hadn't been Georgette who barred her from lying there for the patient's safety; she had thought it was okay, and probably mutually beneficial.

On the contrary, it was Nipa who had drove her off. She had walked in one day to visit her childhood friend, and found Sanya lying on the bed too. Nipa didn't speak, but had assaulted the Orussian with an acidic glare so fierce that Sanya had literally cowered in fear against the wall, before running off to escape her. From that point on, Sanya only risked lying with the sleeping girl when she knew for certain that Nipa was occupied. Edytha seemed to know of her plight, and asked Commander Aleksandra occupy the Suomi girl with tasks so Sanya could have her peace. That still didn't stop Sanya from leaving the room whenever Nipa came to visit; she made the air weigh so thick with tension that it was hard to breathe. Especially when the Suomi glared at everything she did, eyes burning accusingly with endless blame.

A sharp breath caused Sanya to look up. Through her red eyes, puffy from the seemingly endless tears that had plagued her over the past few days, Sanya examined the girl, searching hopefully for a change; any sort of change that would signal that everything would be alright. Opened eyes, tilted head, a change in expression, her hand squeezing back ... any of these would bring back hope in Sanya's heart, which beat weakly and dully, as if it had surrendered.

But Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen's eyes remained closed, her head did not tilt, her expression remained unchanged, and she did not squeeze Sanya's hand back as if to assure her that everything would be alright. The Suomi was dressed a simple patient's gown, with her hair flowing down around her neatly. Sanya had fixed it so that it was perfect; Eila had to look her best. The Orussian reached out stroked the girl's face with the back of her finger gently, savouring the contact her soft fingers made with the smooth pale skin. Tears once again stung her eyes, as she longed to see the girl's eyes and smile, and to hear her voice.

She sighed dejectedly, and lowered her face back onto the smooth white sheets, dampened by the many tears shed over the past few days. She didn't even know what day it was; she could hazard a guess at three or so. It was difficult when you feared for the one you held dear.

It pained Sanya to the very depths of her heart to see her wingmate, her best friend, her beloved, in such a condition. It was the worst kind of pain; an agonizing ache deep inside your chest that you couldn't reach, let alone ease. The fact that Eila wasn't dying granted a small bit of comfort, but the possibility of the girl never waking up again was still present, and Sanya _couldn't do anything about it_. She wanted to scream in frustration, she wanted to throw something; she wanted to find the long dead Neuroi who had done this her Eila, rip it apart with her bare hands and blast the remains into a fiery oblivion. It was somehow her fault too, which didn't help her state of mind at all. But she did not scream, for her tears had stolen her voice long ago.

The clock continued its steady ticking, mercilessly indifferent to her sorrow.

_[DISTORTED]_

"Are you absolutely certain that there's nothing we can do?" Aleksandra prodded her healer, knowing full well what the answer would be.

The twin tailed girl shook her head sadly, "There's nothing at all. I'll have to run a few more tests on her and recheck the severity." She examined her sheets once more. The machine in the room had reported that almost everything about Eila was functioning quite normally, only further confirmed by her magical constant scans. The girl just wasn't waking up, and it was starting to weigh heavily on the healer.

The two were standing the hallway just outside of the room where Eila was resting. It was late afternoon, and the sun was shining deep orange yellow rays through the windows, giving a warm feeling to the otherwise cold area.

"What of that healer from the 522nd?" Georgette inquired to her Commander, "She healed the blindness of that one Karlsland Night Witch, yes? Will she be coming soon?" As much as she disliked having to call another healer, as it made her feel helpless, she realized that this situation was out of her control. She, like many other healers, had trained solely to heal flesh wounds on anyone. This 522 Witch had refined her own powers to heal only Witches' flesh wounds and magic damage, sacrificing her ability to heal normal people in return, which made her a better fit for this situation.

Aleksandra sighed, a common sound that everybody seemed to make too often as of late. "Their Area of Operations is still under heavy siege, but I was able to speak with her over the radio this morning." The Orussian fixed her hair band absentmindedly before continuing, "She said that she'll come at first opportunity, but that won't be for awhile. She also mentioned that if the coma wasn't magic induced, then she might not be able to do anything. It's still worth a try." The Commander wanted to get Eila back to her normal self as soon as possible. Morale had dropped considerably, and there was some friction between a certain Suomi and Orussian.

Georgette nodded in solemn agreement and straightened her stack of papers, being careful to not let any of them get bent.

The Commander checked a nearby clock mounted on the wall. "I think Katajainen will be coming around soon. I'll put Sanya on patrol for tonight." She started towards the door. "I don't feel comfortable having them near each other, despite the warning I gave to Katajainen. I think she blames Sanya too much."

"With all due respect, are ... are you sure you keep sending Sanya out on missions and patrols in her condition, Commander?" Georgette asked carefully, "I'm worried that she might be too distracted or troubled to perform efficiently." She tapped her foot and leaned against the window sill uneasily, brown hair swinging slightly, "And ... and the fact that she hasn't spoken since she first found Eila five days ago? Does that not detract from her effectiveness?"

Aleksandra stopped with her hand on the brass doorknob and gave a hollow laugh, casting her healer a wry smile. "Oh, she's absolutely fine in battle. I pair her with Edytha, because the two seem to understand each other, and Edytha doesn't mind the quiet," the Commander assured her, "In fact, she's even more cold and calculating than ever before, which is the scariest part."

With that, the Orussian turned opened the door, revealing a dark room, with a single door shaped block of orange light illuminating the room inside. "Litvyak," she called softly to the motionless girl with her head nestled in the sheets, "Go on down to the hangar; you've got night patrol with Roßmann tonight."

Wordlessly, the small Orussian girl rose to her feet without pause, and stroked Eila's hair one last time before heading towards the door. As she passed soundlessly, her red eyes remained facing the ground, although she gave what seemed to be a ghost of a nod to Aleksandra, as if acknowledging her orders. She soon passed into the hallway and disappeared from sight in the direction of the hangars.

The two watched her for a moment before Georgette turned to her Commander, "I'm still not convinced."

"Just trust me." Aleksandra replied, certainty in her voice. She turned to leave as well, in the direction of her office instead. "Katajainen will be coming soon. Try to finish those tests quickly while you're still free of distractions," the Orussian said, before walking off amidst the orange rays of the sun.

_[DISTORTED]_

Blue eyes met purple ones for a few seconds, as Georgette squeezed the back of Eila's neck forcefully, eliciting an involuntary hiss of pain, and small spasm as the Suomi's body reacted to the pain. A door slammed open.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

_Couldn't have timed it worse, Nipa. _Georgette rolled her eyes as she retracted her hands from around Eila's neck.

"WHA ... WERE YOU GOING TO KILL HER?" Nipa stormed across the room, and glared accusingly at the healer sitting on the bed beside her best friend's motionless body. The short haired Suomi was red in the face, contrasting her uniform and pale hair. Anger radiated off of her in waves, all directed at the supposed "murderer".

Georgette sighed. She knew that she should've done this test first, when the chances of Nipa walking in on her were much lower. The girl was enraged, and the healer knew that she had to handle this delicately. "I was not trying to kill her," she iterated clearly, holding up her hands to show that she meant no harm, "I was merely performing a medical diagnosis."

"BY CHOKING HER?!"

This irked the brunette; she was insulted to receive such a barbaric accusation. She _was _a field medic after all, so shouldn't everyone trust her anyway? Nevertheless, she was eager to douse the flames and avoid any further trouble from an already harried and hostile Suomi.

"I was performing pain stimulus to check for her body's reactions," she explained patiently, like a mother explaining to a confused child, "The trapezius squeeze to be exact. So her airways were in no danger." She lifted up Eila gently, and pointed to the muscle she had been targeting, faint red marks from her hands just beginning to fade back to the skin's pale colour.

Nipa grunted in grudging acknowledgement as she let her fists down and wiped the glare off of her face, replacing it with a reluctant pout. "I guess you're the doctor," she said as she threw herself down into one of the chairs.

_Now that's what I like to hear._ Georgette thought approvingly, although a bit annoyed that she would have to repeat the test; Nipa's entrance had caused her to miss the reactions. She wrapped her hands around Eila once again, and after giving a pointed look at Nipa, who nodded grudgingly, squeezed down _hard_ on Eila's trapezius area.

Like before, Eila's eyes flew open and she unconsciously let out a hiss of pain and twitched slightly as her body replied to the unwelcome assault. Although her eyes were open for a few seconds, the purple orbs were cloudy and unfocused, signalling that Eila was still unconscious. As the Suomi's eyes closed, Georgette sighed and reached over for her pen and paper, left on the side desk. Bringing it close to her face, she wrote 2s across the entire row. In the final box, she wrote the total of 6; Eila was near the middle of the standard coma scale, which wasn't good.

Georgette tiredly lifted herself off of the bed, and walked over to the dutiful machine once more, checking it for what seemed like the thousandth time this week. She was going straight to her quarters after this; it had been a long day.

" ... So how is she?" came a voice from the other side of the room.

The healer didn't pause as she pored over the machine's readings, "She's fine, but the only thing left to do is wait for her to wake up, or see if the 522 healer can jolt her safely back into consciousness." She scribbled down the latest readings, finding them all optimal.

"But her eyes opened there, right? Does that mean she'll wake up soon?"

"That was just a response to the pain stimulus I administered," Georgette replied, "It's still undetermined when she'll wake up." Suddenly, she was struck by a horrible feeling, radiating from the other side of the room. She began to speed up in her writing, going only as fast as she could without making errors. She needed to get out of there, before ...

"You know ... she wouldn't be like this if it weren't for her."

Georgette's shoulders slumped, and she resumed her normal writing speed with a sigh of defeat. Nipa had already started, and wouldn't stop unless she got a reply. Not wanting the Suomi to resent her, the healer was obligated to stay until she could close the conversation. It was part of her duties as the squadron medic, anyway.

"We don't know that for sure," she replied over her shoulder, without turning around. She wanted to defuse the situation as soon as possible. Besides, she was exhausted already, and dying to lie down and sleep. She heard a chair scraping against the floor as her companion moved closer to the comatose.

"I know it was her," the Suomi continued, unconvinced at the healer's reply, "They're so close, and Litvyak must've said something to her. Eila doesn't just fly off by herself into Neuroi territory without a good reason." She leaned across and rested her head on the sheets, just as Sanya had done.

"You speak as though you knew for sure how she reacts to everything." Georgette said lightly, but then immediately regretted speaking those words.

"Of course I know her!" Nipa erupted, rising to her feet and glaring at the healer's back, "She's my best friend, and I knew her before _any _of you did! Especially before that ignorant Litvyak! I know her better than _anyone_!"

Georgette felt a twinge of fear at the Suomi's ferocity, but didn't turn around. She was done recording everything, but she started double checking to stall. She didn't want to meet Nipa's glare, and she knew that the girl wouldn't attack her. She tensed up when she heard footsteps coming towards her, but when they retreated, she realized that the girl was pacing. The brunette remained silent, as she knew that Nipa was going to vent. And sure enough, she did.

"I mean, I was with Eila first; shouldn't I be closer her than anyone else, save for her sister and parents? Litvyak just makes Eila feel jealous all the time, and she gets so down sometimes when she can't be with that Orussian!" Nipa steamed, her face going red with distaste, "And she almost got Eila _killed_! Probably by a careless word, because my Eila is reacts very strongly when it comes to her, too strongly!"

The twin tailed healer halted her double checking, perking up in curiosity at the possessive term the girl used. _Your Eila?_

"Why does she enjoy being with Litvyak more than I?" Nipa choked, losing steam, "I wouldn't have done that to her. I wouldn't have almost gotten her killed. Litvyak doesn't know what she's got!" The footsteps halted, presumably near the bed, and muffled thumps were heard as Nipa fell to her knees. "Why her? ... Why her?" she sobbed into the sheets.

_So that's what it is._ Georgette let an involuntary sigh; this was going to prove much more difficult than anyone ever thought. Setting her complete records down, she turned around with magic already forming her hands, ready to perform yet another scan.

_[DISTORTED]_

The moon and stars shone brightly down at the two aviatresses, bathing them in moonlight as they sailed along slowly in the clear night sky, each lost in their own thoughts. A dull roar accompanied them as their Striker units propelled them across the open air, magical propellers trailing faint blue light, which faded almost as quickly as it appeared. It was a calm, cold night; no sound was heard apart from their engines.

Edytha shivered slightly, and delegated more of her magic to retain her heat, sighing as the pleasant warmth returned to her slight frame, battling against the chill of the night. She adjusted her grip on her MG42 into a more comfortable position, as one of the drums had been prodding her in the chest for too long. Looking over at her companion, she studied the girl's expression and posture.

Sanya had a neutral, almost vacant stare as her eyes swept the skies for any sign of Neuroi units. Her green radar, with its stick like ends, floated lazily above her head, glowing softly, like some sort of supernatural halo. Her Fliegerhammer was hoisted onto her shoulder, and she had a finger on the trigger at all times, waiting anxiously for the dark shapes of alien spacecraft to appear. The girl as of late had more of a dejected look to her posture, radiated an incredible amount of anxiety.

The instructor felt the need to reassure the girl; to make her feel a little bit better. Deciding to act, she broke the silence with a question: "Sanya, did you hear about the girl who went blind because of a Neuroi attack?"

Sanya nodded slightly, eyes never leaving the sky ahead.

"You also know that a Witch restored her sight, right?"

Another nod, almost imperceptible.

"I think her name was Aya or something. Ah yes, Flying Officer Aya Levere from the Farawayland. Well, once the sieges on her squadron stop, she'll be coming as soon as she can to see what she can do for Eila. She might be able to wake her up!"

Sanya didn't react to this news at all. Not even a glint of hope flickered through her green eyes. Edyth fell silent. The Orussian hadn't spoken to anyone once since she had first entered Eila's medical ward, so why would she respond to a prospect that could very well fail? The instructor was worried for the Orussian; although everybody had experienced a drop in morale, Sanya had taken it especially hard. Probably because the two were so close. It was surprising that they weren't lovers. Or were they?

"It's not your fault," Edytha said softly, unable to think of anything else to say, "It's not your fault."

Sanya replied with a somber sidelong glance, sad green eyes denying Edytha's claim. Suddenly, her radar turned crimson, and her eyes snapped forward, gaining a hard, cold look. The instructor followed suit, instinctively arming her gun and gripping it in the proper position.

Up ahead, the menacing black shape of a Neuroi craft was headed right for them. It was a rather large model, however it looked really slow and probably couldn't maneuver as well as them. Upon closer inspection, Edytha realized that is was similar to the one that had shot Eila down, which means that it would be carrying tens of miniature drone units.

"Type-23, Class D ..." the instructor whispered softly. Suddenly, Sanya twitched and threw her a glance. Edytha realized that they had mentioned the unit classification when they recounted the event to Sanya. Seeing how she wouldn't be able to stop Sanya from exacting revenge on this copy, she merely said, "Be careful. Eila still needs you." She hoped that it would deter Sanya from being too reckless, or going on a rampage.

It worked, as Sanya hesitated before giving Edytha a solid nod, understanding flaring in her cold gaze. With that, she increased speed, Edytha following in her wake, as the Neuroi let out a metallic, ear piercing screech and opened its bay doors. Hundreds of units about the size of the Witches' heads suddenly swarmed out of the hold, filling up the night sky and blocking out much of the moonlight.

Red lasers started tearing apart the night sky as the two forces rushed towards each other; two Witches against hundreds of alien aircraft. The Witches ducked and rolled to avoid the deadly lances, bringing up their magical shields when there was no means of escape.

When they were close enough, the two levelled their weapons at their sworn enemies, and pulled their respective triggers as one. Bullets screamed from the barrel of Edytha's MG42 as she swept it through the ranks, slicing through the air and smashing numerous Neuroi into dust, screeching as they faded into oblivion. One by one, rockets exploded out of Sanya's Fliegerhammer, trailing smoke as they made contact with the front lines of the oncoming horde. Several huge explosions heralded their successful contact, blowing massive holes in the line of black shapes as well as sending out shockwaves that rocked the two Witches and their enemies.

What started out as an orderly charge suddenly descended into chaos as the two Witches dove into the hole in the forces that Sanya's rockets had created. Neuroi started turning inward and firing their energy weapons, chasing the two as they dipped and ducked in between the enemy units, often causing a unit to be struck by friendly fire and disintegrate, wailing as it did so. It was clear that the two were headed to the mothership; Edytha to end it quickly before either of them got hurt, and Sanya to rip the accursed craft to shreds.

They were suddenly in the clear, leaving the mass of black craft behind them. The Neuroi drones wasted no time in turning around and descending upon the Witches' tails like a swarm of black flies. Without turning her head as they sped forwards, Sanya pointed down behind her, and then brought it level. Edytha had flown with Sanya enough to know what it meant. Without waiting for a response, Sanya whirled around and unleashed a barrage of rocket propelled death into the oncoming swarm, and the two dove downwards.

The rockets smashed into the front line, explosions blossoming in the night. Smoke obscured the Neurois' optical sensors for a split second, and in that time, the two Witches had dropped their speed, passed under the swarm undetected, and pulled up right behind them.

Edytha, caught up in the heat of the skirmish, let out a battle cry and started pounding the rear ranks with a rain of 7.92mm hell. Sanya remained silent as they ripped through the unsuspecting Neuroi, pausing only to swat a stray unit aside with her launcher, or raise a shield to block laser fire. The small black crafts exploded left and right, filling the night with their horrible screams as they returned to dust.

As they burst out and shot for the main mothership again, the instructor did a quick assessment of the battlefield. The large horde, which had seemed so threatening just minutes before, had been annihilated to a mere group of 15 or so units, all disoriented by the ambush. They would pose very little threat, and were quickly forgotten.

The mother ship had a brave heart, as it seemed it would stop at nothing to reach its destination; the cities and towns that occupied the coast of Orussia. It sped towards them, but it wasn't as fast due to its size. But it had a surprise in store.

Just as the Witches met the Neuroi head on and raised their weapons, its bay doors exploded open, changing into a second pair of wings that seemed to increase its speed. The two Witches fired at the craft, but a pair of rotating panels sprang out of the nose and deflected the shells and rockets. Both of the girls had to dive out of the way as the Neuroi shot past them like a bullet. They managed to catch a glimpse of something red within the open bay doors.

"Did you see that, Sanya?" Edytha yelled over the noise of the Neuroi engines as they turned to pursue the craft. "The core's inside the bay." Sanya nodded, and dodged left to avoid a huge chunk of Neuroi; it was dropping its extra armour for speed, and possibly as an attack. Edytha sprayed bullets at the core, but the bay walls began reforming, protecting the crystal and hiding it from view. So much for an easy shot.

As they it chased the over the water, getting ever closer to land, the rear blood red panels started glowing furiously. Edytha concentrated and summoned her shield just as a laser was going to vaporize her. She gritted her teeth as the laser struck the blue shield, and was flung backwards violently, raising her shield once again as another laser arced through the air towards her. As she struggled to fly against the onslaught, she spotted Sanya up ahead.

The girl was whirling through the air, gracefully dodging every laser that came her way, as if she had inherited some sort of premonitory abilities herself.

"Be careful, Sanya," Edytha coughed over the radio, fatigue beginning to set in, "This one is much more difficult than the other one, and it's too late to Vanguard it." Up ahead, she saw Sanya suddenly stiffen and level out. The instructor realized that it was probably because she mentioned the one that had shot down Eila. She increased her speed and tried to catch up, hoping that Sanya wouldn't do anything too reckless. The Orussian was rapidly approaching the Neuroi, going at immense speeds despite her choice of weapon. The Neuroi fired lasers in vain, lasers cutting wildly through the air, as if it knew that its destruction was at hand. Sanya nimbly dodged them, and pulled up straight behind the craft, taking aim.

Suddenly, the rear panel exploded off of the craft; a last ditch attempt to fight off the pesky Witch, and to speed to safety. Sanya dodged left and the panel hurtled past her, disappearing into the dark waters below. What she didn't expect was that the Neuroi had timed the ejection of another panel, following the in first one's shadow, in her blind spot. Edytha shouted a warning, firing her own gun at the craft.

Sanya chose not to dodge the incoming piece of debris; instead she simultaneously activated her shield and swung her Fliegerhammer. The big launcher proved tougher than the panel, and sent the chunk of black metal smashing into the Neuroi, and it careened out of control. Sanya swung hard to the right, and when the angle was accurate, swung herself into a vicious left bank, activating her shield as she did so.

And that's when she flew into the Neuroi.

Edytha looked on, shocked, as Sanya smashed her way through the diminished Neuroi from the right, all the way through, coming out on the opposite side. Black metal trailed her as she whirled around, and fired a single rocket in the hole she had created.

The Neuroi let out an inhuman screech as the piece of ordnance made contact with its fragile power core inside its bay. It continued to scream as it died, disintegrating into hundreds of pale white sparkles, as if the stars had come down to earth themselves. As the sun slowly rose from its rest, they danced, drifting down towards the black water, fading into nothingness.

"Good job, Sanya," Edytha gasped out as she pulled up to the girl. They were both exhausted, and Sanya's expression had returned to the one that radiated sorrow. "Good kill."

There was nothing else to say as they turned homeward.

_[DISTORTED]_

"Please accept this."

Sanya stared blankly at the Fuso Witch, Shimohara Sadako, who was holding out a plate of food. The Witch had been waiting in the hangar; waiting for the two Witches to return. The girl had a worried look in her eyes.

"You haven't eaten much," Shimohara said softly, holding the plate closer to the unresponsive Night Witch, "And according to Edytha, that was a fierce battle, and you need energy. You've barely eaten anything in the last few days." She poked Sanya lightly with the edge of the plate.

Sanya shook her head politely, and tried to push past the Witch. She wasn't hungry. Her hunger had been diminished due to the gravity of Eila's condition. Besides, she had to go visit Eila now. But she was blocked by Edytha, who looked at her sternly.

"Eat. Or I'll have Kanno and Waltrud come help me force it down your throat."

The Orussian sighed in defeat. She felt too weak to resist any longer anyway. She took the plate and sat down on the edge of the launch platform, eating slowly. Edytha and Shimohara both sighed in relief.

"Where's mine?" Edytha asked jokingly, still exhausted.

"Get it yourself." Shimohara stuck her tongue out playfully.

_[DISTORTED]_

Sanya moaned as she felt something shift by her head. After eating, she had gone straight up to Eila's room, and collapsed once more on the floor beside the bed, with her face down on the sheets with all the intention in the world to sleep. It would probably be more comfortable sleeping in her own bed, but she didn't want to leave Eila's side. The bed shifted again. _Please just finish with your tests, Georgette, so you can stop shaking the bed, and I can sleep._

She froze when the hand holding her beloved's was suddenly squeezed faintly. Her head shot up, all sleepiness vanished in an instant. Her heart started beating wildly as she took in the sight. Georgette wasn't in the room.

A pair of purple eyes was staring at her.

Sanya's voice cracked painfully as it hadn't been used in a few days, "E- ... Eila?" she whispered hoarsely, hot tears sliding down her cheeks. She started shaking slightly at the sight.

Eila was sitting upright in her bed. One hand was still clasped in Sanya's, and the other was folded across her lap, instead of down by her side. She continued to stare at Sanya.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Sanya leapt up and threw herself onto Eila, forgetting about the possibility of hurting her. Gathering the girl into her arms, tears of joy sprang from her closed eyes, flowing over her wide smile, "You're back! You're back!" the Orussian proclaimed through her tears. Her joy soon died when she had realized that Eila wasn't hugging back.

Confused, Sanya drew back. Was Eila still angry at her? She was surprised to see the Suomi just staring at her curiously.

"I ... I'm sorry ..." Sanya squeaked out, an awful feeling rising up within her, "It was my fault wasn't it? I understand if you're still mad ..." She clutched her hands to her chest, waiting for the Suomi's reply.

Eila just looked at her strangely and opened her mouth to say something. An odd noise came out, due her not speaking for almost 2 weeks, and Eila had to cough into the crook of her arm to clear her throat, while Sanya waited anxiously.

"How long was I out for?" Eila finally whispered weakly, clutching her throat, as if talking brought her pain.

"Almost two weeks ..." Sanya said with relief, happy that Eila had replied. She reached out and took Eila's hands into her own. It felt good to hold them again when they weren't limp. She smiled up at her beloved, but her smile died on her lips. Something wasn't right.

Eila was looking around the room, disoriented. She hadn't hugged back, which was unusual, and she didn't have the smile she wore every time the Orussian entered her presence. In fact, the girl looked at Sanya as if she had never seen her before. Sanya's heart pumped out warning after warning into her bloodstream.

They sat in silence as the girl continued to look around the room, looking very confused. And Sanya waited anxiously by her side, looking down at her hands.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen."

Sanya looked up, confusion plastered across her face. The girl was looking straight at her. Instead of reassuring her, Sanya froze in cold terror, finally realizing the cause for the lack of recognition in the girl's eyes. She could do nothing but stare into the purple eyes that didn't recognize her.

"I don't believe we've met." the Suomi continued, giving a weak, friendly smile.

_She doesn't remember me._

_..._

"_But it'll have to wait."_

_..._

_[Distorted – End of Chapter Six – Deep Breath]_

_Author here._

_I'm glad you've read this far. I've finally gotten to the main part of the plot, so updates will be a little more frequent._

_Sorry to the Nipa lovers. I don't hate her, but this is the role she must play._

_I'm not very good at battle scenes, but I felt like it wouldn't be Strike Witches without a few battles._

_Please leave a review if you have time, I enjoy any and all reviews. Even if you have a few criticisms, it's just a real confidence booster to see that people are reading this story, and maybe even liking it._

_Well, till wherever, whenever. Hope to see you in the next chapter~_

_Author, over and out._


	7. Whatever It Takes

_Whatever It Takes_

_502__nd__ Joint Fighter Wing Airbase, Petersburg, Orussia_

_I don't want to face this._

The offered hand hung in the air, waiting for her response. She simply stared, wide eyed, at its owner, the beloved girl who had always cared and protected her, like some sort of guardian angel. The girl that she loved, that was now sitting in a hospital bed in a dark medical ward, looking at her curiously. Some lights on the medical equipment on the bedside glowed a cheerful green, and it whirred, as if happy its patient had awoken. The Suomi's hand remained in the air, stretching towards her in greeting.

It had to be a joke. Eila was fooling her, using her own condition as well as Sanya's condition as a ground to pull off some sort of ruse, for who knows what purpose.

But as far as she could recall, Sanya had never, _ever_ been a target for any of Eila's antics, being practical jokes or just plain "chest measuring" sessions that the Suomi and Lucchini often conducted on their comrades. The Orussian felt like she was considered off limits to pranks by Eila, and even by the Romagnan. Although she didn't mind it being that way, she had more than once wondered how it would feel to have Eila's hands measure her.

So would this be the first time Eila would attempt to joke with her? Maybe the shock to her system had rendered the Suomi a bit different than before. Sanya opened her mouth to say something, but found that the feeling of dread had formed a lump in her throat, and wouldn't permit her to speak.

It had to be a joke. There was no way Eila wouldn't be able to remember her. If she didn't remember Sanya, that means she also wouldn't remember all of the memories that they had made together, the smiles that they had shared, the promises that that they had made to each other. Because the absence of such memories meant that everything would be different; that the familiar times have ended. It can't be true.

But here they were. There was no mischievous glint in the Suomi's smile as she held her free hand out towards Sanya in a gesture of good meeting, nor was there any recognition flaring in those tired purple eyes, which stared curiously at the small, fragile girl that would not return the gesture. Instead, she sat frozen, staring with wide, desperate eyes.

A few seconds later, Eila decided that the girl wasn't going to be moving any time soon, and she slowly retracted her hand, instead placing it on the back of her head to massage the dull ache that thumped faintly at the base of her skull. Sanya watched as Eila gave her a quick smile before inspecting the room curiously. The Orussian remained silent as she waited in desperate hope that her beloved's memories might return to her if she wasn't disturbed. She looked down and started playing with the front of her uniform nervously as she waited for Eila to say something, _anything_. She felt tears wet the edges of her eyes as the silence stretched on and on.

"Eila Ilmatar Juutilainen."

Sanya squeezed her eyes shut. There she went with the name again. A dull ache.

"That IS my name, am I wrong?" Eila turned inquiringly to her companion, who gave a swift, almost imperceptible ghost of a nod, refusing to meet her eyes. She couldn't bear to face her. Satisfied, the Suomi lay back onto her pillow, and seemed to sink into deep thought as she absentmindedly adjusted the covers. A few seconds later, she began again, "I was born in Suomus, and have a sister named Aurora ..."

Sanya raised her head, hope filling her body as Eila continued to describe her earliest memories. She quickly found out that Eila could point out brief moments, but she never made a mention of anyone specific other than her parents and sister, instead using vague words for other people, such as "friend" or "schoolmate". As she began listing off the different events in her military career, Sanya leaned forward intently with new resolve, gripping the edge of the bed in anticipation. It was all coming back to her! Eila's memories were coming back! The Orussian sprang up and drew the curtains, allowing the morning sunlight to shine into the room and let her get a better view of Eila as the girl continued on the brief recount of memories.

Just as she was coming up to her induction into the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, Eila suddenly faltered, and a look of pain suddenly appeared on her face as she seemed to encounter some sort of mental blockade. This startled Sanya, as they had been doing so good, but nevertheless, she didn't dare interrupt. When Eila spoke next, it was in a slightly quieter voice.

"And then I was transferred to the five ... the five oh ..." she started, trailing off. After a few seconds of silence, she looked helplessly over to Sanya, an unusual pain etched into her face, causing the Orussian to hurt just by seeing it.

"First," Sanya replied quietly, dread returning, "501st." She fought the urge to just throw herself onto Eila and hug her, fearing it might startle the girl too much.

"Yeah ..." Eila returned just as quietly, almost sadly. Sanya watched her beloved fiddling with her bandages, trying to distract herself. The Orussian could tell that Eila was hesitant to ask the next question. She knew at the bottom of her heart what the next question would be. In the brief recount of her life, Eila hadn't mentioned any names, save for her family, and Sanya wanted to believe that the Suomi was just focusing on the big picture and knew them all by name, but felt that the names weren't important at the moment.

Finally, Eila looked up at Sanya, almost apologetically. Their eyes met, and Sanya could see confusion swirling in those purple orbs. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, until Sanya could take no more, and broke away.

"C- ... can you tell me their names?" the Suomi asked, trying to hide the shame in her voice, "I know that they're really important to me, but I ..." she trailed off, a forlorn expression on her face. "I know there's 11 of us ..." she added, as if hoping it would help her remember.

Hearing that felt like someone sticking a blade through her heart; Sanya actually choked slightly and recoiled. Her fears were being confirmed, and it hurt like hell. What had begun as a dull heartache had transformed into an unrelenting, furious, stabbing pain; all as a result of a few words. Tears sprang to her eyes, but she wiped them away hurriedly with a closed fist. Despite all the pain, a slight spark of hope still shone within her. Eila could still regain her memories. She just needed a trigger, and then everything would be back to normal. And listing off their beloved squadmates seemed like an ideal start.

Waving away Eila's attempts at asking if she was okay, Sanya started shakily naming off their dear friends, hoping for the best as she carefully studied her beloved's face as the latter closed her eyes.

Minna-Dietlinde Wilcke, the motherly commander from Karlsland.

Sakamoto Mio, the eye-patched swordswoman from Fuso.

Gertrud Barkhorn, a strict, rule enforcing soldier from Karlsland.

Erica Hartmann, the lazy, messy top ace from Karlsland.

Perrine Clostermann, the bespectacled noble lady from Gallia.

Francesca Lucchini, the cheerful, mischievous little Witch from Romagna.

Charlotte "Shirley" Yeager, the busty speed demon from Liberion.

Lynette Bishop, the demure sniper from Britannia.

Miyafuji Yoshika, the meddling, headstrong healer from Fuso.

Sanya paused for a moment. Eila's expression of deep thought had never changed throughout the naming process, expect for a small smile at the Commander's name, and an odd twitch at Yoshika's. The Orussian had never felt so hopeless in her life, and her besieged mind formulated a small plan to confirm her fears. It was almost humorous, in a dark, sad sort of way, and she let out a small, hollow giggle at what she was about to say.

Eila had opened her eyes, and was looking at her questioningly, as if to ask for the final member's name in her silence. The Orussian took a deep breath, and quietly added the last name to the roster.

Flying Officer Sanya Litvyak, the Night Witch.

She had introduced herself in third person, dearly wanting Eila to call her out on it and to ask why she had done so. But Sanya thought that the Suomi wouldn't respond to her name, just like the others.

Instead, the Orussian's world shattered when she what flashed over Eila's face. It was the furrowing of her brow, and downward turn of her mouth that betrayed a quiet sort of anger, as if there was a storm brewing on the inside just fighting to be free. Eila's body wasn't enough to contain it, and the emotion permeated the air around her, hanging heavy.

Tears exploded into Sanya's eyes as she witnessed what she perceived to be extreme anger to her name. Eila really had been angry with her! But what had she done?! A scraping sound was heard as she pushed herself backwards in horror, away from her beloved who she had hurt so deeply. She raised her hand in front of her mouth, and tried to stifle the noises as her breaths became sobbing gasps, as her heart broke into two. Sanya could almost hear it tearing as an unimaginable pain tore through her.

It was her fault! She had done this to Eila! The very person she loved the most, now hated her! It was becoming too much to bear, and her mind was clouding with so many conflicting emotions, _so much pain_. Scrambling her feet, Sanya was interrupted by sobbing that was not her own, and looked with shock to the bed.

Eila was bent over slightly, her face hidden from view, and was sobbing quietly. Her tears made dark stains on the pure white sheets that she was covered in as she wept. All anger had disappeared from her face as she raised her head to look at Sanya. The early morning sunlight reflected in her tear filled eyes, and gave the illusion that they were golden.

"It _hurts, _" Eila said quietly, clutching her chest, "My heart hurts so much when I hear her name, and I don't know why!"

That enough for Sanya. She choked out a sob as she ran for the door, accidentally hitting herself on the edge of the bed in her haste.

"Wait!"

"_No; go!"_ Her heart screamed in reply to the voice. Sanya paused with her hand on the handle, and slowly looked back at Eila, shaking badly.

The Suomi was looking at her through wide, teary eyes, a hand held open in her direction. "D-don't leave me alone!" she pleaded with a choked voice, stretching her hand even farther, as if trying to catch a hold of Sanya from across the room, "You didn't e-even tell me your name!"

For a split second, Sanya considered telling Eila her name, and staying in the room. But remembering the Suomi's reaction to her name, decided against it. "A - Alexsandra." she choked out, hoping that she wouldn't make the connection. Sanya fumbled desperately with the handle for a second, before it finally granted her entrance and she fell into the hallway.

She fell into a pair of arms, and looking up through misty eyes, saw that they belonged to a very surprised and worried Georgette Lemare. The healer's mouth was moving, but Sanya didn't register anything that she was saying. She pushed the healer away and ran down the hall towards her quarters.

All she wanted to do was get away from pain she had caused. She was a coward.

_[Distorted]_

Time passed.

Sanya wasn't sure how much of it passed, as the pain had numbed her connection to the real world. She might have fallen asleep as some times, her emotions quickly tiring her fragile body out, but she always jolted awake when her mind reminded her of what happened. Guilt assaulted her mind and heart at every given second, and drove her to unconsciousness several times, as she fought to stay above.

The room was as dark as she could make it;the only light peeked out from under the door, and through the thin material, glowing a warm yellow-orange as it tried to gain entrance to the room and comfort the solitary occupant. Sanya would have none of that though; she didn't deserve such warmth upon her skin after what she had done.

_Knock knock_

There it was again. A soft knocking, a tapping at her door. Sanya suspected it was another Witch coming to check up on her. It came at different times, and the Orussian couldn't tell the time between each solicitation, due to her currently warped sense of being. They might've been spaced hours apart, or mere minutes between; she couldn't tell.

She had once actually stormed to the door and threw it open, after she thought the another round of knocking had come mere minutes after the last one had ended. She was greeted by an empty hallway, dim in the evening light, showing that she had been in the room for a whole day, AND that she was hearing things now.

So now she stayed in the corner of her room, lying in a fetal position with a blanket covering her, with her hands clamped firmly over her ears as she struggled for breath. She had cried for the whole day, and now she was exhausted. She ignored the knocking, believing them to be part of her tired mind.

The knocking ceased, and the girl breathed a sigh of relief. However, the door opened without her permission, and warm light flooded the doorway. She tensed up as footsteps approached her, and suddenly she was caught in a warm embrace of a Witch's arms. Her mind didn't register what the girl was saying, but she hazily perceived it to be Aleksandra that was whispering comforting things to her.

The Commander held her close, and stroked her hair as Sanya buried her face into the girl's chest and let loose what few tears she could muster.

"It's my fault," she choked, "It's my fault; I'm sorry , I'm sorry ..."

The other Orussian said nothing, just held the girl closer as she picked up the small Night Witch. Stroking her hair, the Commander set Sanya down gently into her bed, and re-covered her with the blanket.

The Commander sat at her bedside, projecting care similar to that of a mother as she held the broken hearted girl's hand. Her calm blue eyes and comforting expression, barely visible in the darkness, gently urged Sanya to sleep, as she stroked her hair with her free hand. Feeling her exhaustion finally catching up, her eyes slowly slid shut, casting her into a merciful, dreamless sleep.

_[Distorted]_

Sanya awoke to the afternoon light streaming through her window, thankful that it could finally comfort the girl. She rubbed her eyes as she pulled herself into a sitting position and stared blurrily towards the figure at her window.

"Oops, did I wake you? Sorry." said Edytha, who was standing at the window, peeking through the blinds into the outside world, "You can go back to sleep if you want, the Commander has relieved you from duty for now." She gave a small comforting smile, and closed the blinds.

Sanya sniffled, but remained in a sitting position as the events of yesterday slowly came back to her. Surprisingly, she didn't shed any tears as the gravity of the situation returned. Instead, she accepted it with some sort of cold determination. The incident had happened, and there was no way she could go back and fix whatever she did wrong, but she sure as hell could help fix things in the present, and she was do whatever it takes to make Eila happy again.

She had somehow made Eila sad, which is why she had flown headfirst into a swarm of Neuroi that she couldn't handle alone. Although Sanya still didn't know the true reason, she knew that it was sadness that had caused this, and she was determined to make Eila happy in any way possible, and never be sad ever again.

She looked up, and saw that Edytha was watching her carefully, looking for any signs of distress or trauma of some sort. Mustering her courage, Sanya gave the instructor a weak smile, and pulled herself out of bed.

Surprised, but relieved that Sanya appeared to be relatively okay, Edytha sighed. "Are you sure you want to get up? I can bring you some food if you want. I'd understand if you need some more time alone ... " the white haired Witch said in a friendly tone.

"It's okay ..." Sanya rasped out, suddenly realizing that she had not eaten since the previous Neuroi battle, and that she was ravenous. She started towards the door, body aching for yesterday's ordeal.

"Are ... are you sure you want to go out with hair like that?" Edytha asked, walking around the bed towards her. She pointed at the Orussian's horrifingly messy hair.

Sanya giggled lightly, and went looking for her hairbrush.

A shower and one hair taming session later, the two found themselves in the squadron's mess hall. All the other Witches had already eaten awhile ago, and were out on their duties, be it patrolling, or training on-site, leaving the two alone in the big room in relative silence. All of the tables were empty, some chairs still out of place as a result of their previous occupants. The lights were off, but the noon light from outside gave the room a warm feeling.

Two pairs of eyes watched Sanya as she devoured her plate of food; Edytha, sitting across the table from her, and Shimohara, who was anxiously peeking into the room from the kitchen, worried about the Orussian's condition, and on standby in case Sanya needed something.

Although content with the quiet, and relieved to see Sanya actually up and about after such an ordeal, Edytha still needed to confirm the Orussian's condition. After checking up on Eila, Georgette had informed her and Aleksandra of what had happened before she had walked in. The healer neglected to tell the others of the exchange, saying it was fairly personal.

What Georgette HAD told everyone was that she had diagnosed Eila with selective retrograde amnesia, which had caused the girl to forget almost everyone's face and name, save for her immediate family, as well as a single girl from her grade school, for some strange reason. However, the healer admitted that she couldn't say if the amnesia had come from blunt force, or magical damage.

As she sat there, watching the girl in front of her, Edytha's heart suddenly yearned to comfort Sanya, and assure her that it hadn't been her fault. She couldn't even begin to imagine the pain Sanya had gone through when she had discovered that she had been forgotten. Eila could remember very small bits and pieces of her history, but everything after her induction into the 501st was dark void. The Suomi wasn't even sure if those memories were even correct.

Everybody had been hit hard by this new development, but the ones hit hardest had been the ones closest; Sanya and Nipa.

Although Nipa's reaction had been similar to Sanya's, it hadn't ended up with her locking herself down in her quarters. Perhaps it was because she had already laid the blame on another specific person, and she cried only for lost memories and lack of recognition. On the other hand, Sanya had cried for both of them.

No, Sanya had been hit the hardest of all of them. After all, everyone knew of the closeness that she and the Suomi shared; a bond bordering on the purest form of love, hesitantly standing at the line drawn in the sand that they had both unknowing, and unwillingly established; afraid to take the next step.

Hesitating for a few seconds, Edytha opened her mouth to ask a question, but was interrupted by Sanya.

"How ... how is Eila doing?" the Night Witch asked quietly, not meeting Edytha's eyes.

The instructor, seeing as there was no need to worry about bringing up the sensitive subject, replied, "She's doing okay. She'll have to stay in bed for the rest of today, as well as tomorrow though." A pause. "I know it must be hard for you ... and it's hard for us too ..."

Sanya raised her eyes, and Edytha was surprised to see them flaring with quiet determination. "Is there anything I can do to help?" the Night Witch asked, bravely.

The white haired Witch was taken aback, but soon calmed as a slight wave of relief washed over her. This was better than she thought; Sanya was actually determined and ready to help so soon after the awful news. Recovering, she sighed in relief. "Actually, Georgette wanted to see you as soon as you were ready." She immediately felt bad as she omitted a single piece of information; no need to hide things, Sanya would find out about it eventually.

Just as Sanya rose to her feet, Edytha raised her hand to stop her. "I ... I lied," she admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of her head, "She wants you AND Katajainen for this procedure."

Sanya didn't even flinch. "I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to bring Eila back to normal, and make her happy," she replied with determination. With that, she picked up her plate and strode out of the room, dropping off her dish onto one of the counters.

Both Edytha and Shimohara gazed after the girl, long after she had exited. The Fuso Witch turned and gave her a worried look. All the instructor could do was give a weak smile and a slight shrug of her shoulders. With Nipa's attitude towards Sanya, things were bound to get messy. But Georgette said that the two of them working together would be absolutely necessary, and the Commander had agreed. If Edytha had been in that position, she knew her decision would've been much different.

"Be careful, Sanya." she whispered after the departed girl.

_[Distorted]_

_Whatever it takes to make her happy._

That phrase echoed over and over in her mind. The voice in her head chanted it like a mantra, like a battle cry against whatever would come next. Sanya was determined to fix all of this.

_Whatever it takes to make her happy._

Nipa hadn't even acknowledged her presence, let alone even glanced at her yet. The two were standing side by side in the hallway outside of Eila's medical quarters. Sanya stared bravely ahead as Georgette began to brief them. She could feel the light from the window behind her warm her back. Aleksandra stood off to the side, observing the two as they stood at attention.

"Now, I'm sure you already know what has happened, and what Eila's condition is," Georgette began, looking at the two girls in front of her closely. No one in their right mind would put these two together in the same room after what had just happened, but the healer fortunately, or unfortunately, wasn't in her right mind. This was their best bet, and there wasn't any other options, aside from sending them separately, which could lead to some issues in information continuity.

"You two are the ones who are the closest to Eila, and are in contact with her the most often, so you should know about some of her history. Nipa can take most of her earlier memories, as you were childhood friends, and Sanya will take the later half. I want the two of you to accompany Eila as usual and I want you to _gradually _fill in the blanks of her memories. She paused and looked at the two girls pointedly. They nodded in response.

"Good. She has retained all of her combat knowledge, so you will be deployed on regular patrol as soon as she recovers. Do not let your personal feelings get in the way too much while restoring what she has forgotten, Nikka. Same goes for you, Sanya. Understood?"

The two girls nodded once again, determination etched into their faces.

"Good. You may start right away. I'll come check on her periodically, but right now I have to inform your commanding officers, Sanya; it seems to have slipped my mind." She started to walk away.

"Uhm ..." Sanya said quietly, and Georgette turned back, with a questioning look. "Please ... call me Alexsandra for now." She didn't want people referring to her as Sanya in front of Eila; she didn't want to witness that unknown anger again, until she found the source.

Georgette looked confused for a second, but nodded her assent. She suspected it had something to do with the past events, but made a mental note anyway. The Commander wished them good luck before the two headed off down the hallway. Sanya watched them long after they left, slightly afraid to turn to her partner.

"I don't know what she sees in you." Nipa rounded on the Orussian as soon as the other two had disappeared from view. Sanya turned to find Suomi glaring daggers at her, with her arms crossed. The Night Witch stared back evenly, not saying anything. This wasn't going to be easy.

"So since this is your fault, _Alexsandra_, we are going to do things my way."

"As long as Eila ends up happy; that's all I really want." Sanya shot back, narrowing her eyes. She wasn't incredibly angry, as Eila's well being was more of a concern to her than what Nipa thought of her. She was merely annoyed at this delay.

Nipa surprised her partner by smiling triumphantly, and crowing, "Exactly!" She brought her face closer to Sanya's, glaring with a smile. "And you know what? This happened because she was sad, and _you _caused her to be like this."

"What of it?" Sanya fired back, becoming increasingly vexed at her partner.

"When she can't be with you, she's always depressed and NOT happy," They were nose to nose now. When the Orussian didn't reply, she continued, "Don't you see? Her happiness is hindered by _Sanya_. The only way for her to be happy is to _erase the old Sanya from her memory, and put her with someone who actually cares for her."_

_ Whatever it takes to make her happy._

Sanya faltered as the words sunk in, the look of determination gone from her face as it fell. Nipa's words were nasty, but to her horror, Sanya could actually see the truth behind them; if she had stayed with her, Eila would not have flown into that cursed swarm, would not have been injured, would not have forgotten. Sanya had not considered Eila's feelings, had not taken care of her properly, and had ultimately broke the promise they had made to each other long ago.

_ Whatever it takes to make her happy._

Maybe Eila WOULD be better off with Nipa. Nipa actually appeared to care for Eila a lot, whereas Sanya had been too scared to let her true feelings show. Maybe Nipa would never make her sad, or hurt Eila like Sanya had done.

Isn't that what true love is? Wanting the one you loved most dearly to be happy?

_Even if it was letting go?_

Sanya raised her eyes back up towards Nipa, who was staring at her neutrally, waiting for an answer. After a few seconds, the Night Witch finally spoke in a soft voice, "I just want her to be happy ..."

The Suomi nodded, "That's what I want as well. This is for the best." She drew back from Sanya, a quiet victory glimmering in her eyes, and turned to enter the room. "Follow my lead."

Sanya fought back her tears, and followed in quiet defeat, into a dreadful new world.

_[Distorted – End of Chapter Seven – Whatever It Takes]_

_Author here._

_Remember I said I would have more frequent updates? I'm a liar._

_I had to revise the rest of the plot, because it contained a plot-hole of such a magnitude that I could've probably driven a Panzer Iv through it while rapidly spinning its turret, and still have enough room for a yuri couple to sit on top and enjoy the view._

_Also, sometime within the next few days, this story will receive a new cover, so be sure to look out for it here, or on my deviantArt account._

_Thanks again for reading this far. Please post a review if you have enough time; I'd love to know of what you think of it so far._

_Well, till wherever, whenever. Hope to see you in the next chapter~_

_Author, over and out._


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